Lord of Dragons
by The Otherworlder
Summary: "With great power comes great responsibility", or "Absolute power corrupts absolutely"? Aki doesn't even know the answer herself, but now that she is thrust into a chaotic world perilously balanced at the intersection of many conflicts, she must choose swiftly. Not only for herself, but also for a desperate soldier, a bitter regent, and an embattled king.
1. Destiny Signal

**AN: New story! And more crossover! Though unlike what I promised last time, this is a crossover with Lord of the Rings. Odd choice, I know, but I already did one LOTR/YGO cross, so it's not that odd now to cross with YGO 5DS。****:) This story will feature significantly less dueling than my previous stuff; there is still some dueling, just not as much and not as prominently. The central idea of the story is kinda like what I was trying to do in (the now abandoned) ****_Power_****. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Please review and let me know what you think!**

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**1. Destiny Signal**

An eye blinked outside the window.

It was an enormous eye, taking up the entirety of the window frame, a ball of deadened white, with a single point of black that roved around, searching, peering, and looking.

Aki put a hand to her mouth, but no scream escaped her throat. She wasn't really afraid, rather she felt like she was drowning in sorrow. You didn't have to do this, Misty, she thought despondently, we are all just victims of one man's twisted ambition, and our own love. Curse the Earthbound Immortal! Curse the evil creature that would abuse the most fervent love of a sister! Let those enemies of all that is good and fair sleep, sleep forever, sealed deep beneath the earth! It was her duty to defeat the Earthbound Immortals as a vassal of the Crimson Dragon.

But that fight was long over, wasn't it?

Aki just realized that she couldn't possibly be standing in the Arcadia Movement headquarter, looking out of the window at the roving eye of Earthbound Immortal Ccarayhua; Arcadia Movement did not exist anymore, and Ccarayhua was returned to slumber long ago. What was going on?

She looked around and saw that she was standing in a very old-looking hall. The floor and the walls were made of large blocks of stone, smooth and white but without the expected plastering. Pillars of gleaming black marble rose to greet the high vaulted ceiling, decorated with gold leaves and colourful insets. At the end of hall a tall throne sat at atop a flight of stairs. Does a story book king rule from this seat? Aki wondered with faint amusement.

As she studied this strange place, the eye outside the window blinked with rapidity. Then slowly, slowly the eye moved through the open window and into the ancient hall, just that single eyeball, trailed by shadows like black fog. The hall darkened, and the white marble floor seemed to turn into a black pool. The eyeball moved closer and closer to Aki, and this time she could not stop the scream of fright that escaped her throat.

"_Black Rose Dragon_!" She called, "Come to me, defeat this evil!"

A wind swept by, fire and black petals danced before her, and Black Rose Dragon materialized in all his glory, red and black, the storm of mid-summer. Black Rose Gale washed over the entire hall, but the shadows did not disperse. Aki heard a sinister laughter, and a cold voice that said, "I cannot be destroyed, I cannot be destroyed! But I shall destroy you!"

Black Rose Dragon screamed, and his head drooped, the petals of his wings seemed to lose colour. Her dragon was dying before her, Aki realized. So her enemy cannot be destroyed? Well then, she still had answers. "From your wintry abode rise and greet me, _Brionac, Dragon_…"

Aki did not quite finish, for a red light suddenly pierced through the black mist, and at the same time, Aki felt the familiar stinging sensation on her right arm. She heard a thunderous dragonic roar, and then saw a pair of wide, wide crystalline wings unfolding from the shadows and filling up the hall, poking through the windows. Silvery-blue those wings were and glittering with an icy light, a little like the wings of her own Brionac. Aki strained her eyes and tried to see the dragon's entirety, but all she saw were wings and the shadows.

A man emerged from the shadows and walked towards her. He was exceedingly tall, even taller than Jack Atlas. His hair was dark threaded with silver, his eyes the piercing silver of an eagle's eyes, and his face, while no longer young, was still breathtakingly beautiful to look upon. "Thank you for everything, my lady," The strange man said, "Now come away from the shadows! Come with me, back to the world of living and light, where a young and noble soul like yours belongs. Come."

He extended a hand towards her, and Aki saw that his arm was glowing with the familiar crimson outlines of a claw—the signer of the claw.

What?! Is that—is that the same as the mark on my arm?

In utter confusion Aki woke from her dream, and the first thing she noticed was that her room being choke full of the overwhelming fragrance of flowers and leaves. The single long-stemmed rose left in the vase on her dresser table has grown into a rose bush, reaching to the ceiling; the carpet was nearly buried in petals and leaves. That's why one should never summon Black Rose Dragon in a dream, Aki mused with annoyance, but at least she did not bring out Brionac in her dream; flowers were still better than an iced-over room.

She pulled open the drawer of her nightstand and fished out a card, twirling it between her long fingers. "Come out now and do your magic," She murmured, "Summon, Morphtronic Vacuumen."

And the little vacuum appeared out of thin air and cleaned up her room in a jiffy, such efficiency would be the envy of any vacuum cleaner created by mankind's technology. Rua had been baffled when she asked for this card, for it was too weak even for a Morphtronic deck; he probably never imagined anyone would ask for a duel monster card for the purpose of doing chores. But not just any chore, Aki sighed once more, most people probably don't have to do her kind of gardening.

Her powers have returned.

At first she didn't mind. Most of the time she had perfect control, and she didn't duel all that much either way, so there was no danger of inadvertently setting the Black Rose Dragon on someone. And if sometimes she lost concentration and let loose her power, it was no more than reviving a dead flower arrangement, or making plates fly to the dinner table on their own, so it hardly mattered. But then the dreams started. She had been seeing strange things in dreams: a fantastic land, with knights and kings, horsemen and dragons, a tall and stately man with the eyes of the eagle and the mark of the Crimson Dragon on his arm, and shapeless enemies. In dreams she had little control, and waking up to find a room of mess was never any fun. And her power kept growing with every passing day, until she could defy gravity, change the pace of seasons, give life and end it, until it seemed there was nothing she could not do if she so desired.

How did they say it again? Absolute power…

The sudden alarm song bursting out of her cellphone snapped her out of her pondering. Aki moaned and rolled out of the bed. She better get ready now; she did have two hundred miles to go to that press release dinner tonight.

Being a member of the now disbanded but still world-famous Team 5DS, Aki had always received invitations to this dinner party or that charity ball, and she almost never bothered attending. But this particular event was different. Last year, an archaeology team unearthed a fully-preserved temple dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, also known as the Crimson Dragon, in the La Malinche mountains in Mexico, and within that temple they discovered stone tablets depicting never before seen deities—deities that looked remarkably like the signer dragons.

The signer dragons of Team 5DS were some of the most mysterious cards in duel monsters; even the developer of the game, Industrial Illusion, could not recount the history of those cards, neither the set they were released in, nor the designer or the artist, and certainly no back stories, nothing about why these cards were one-and-only. It is perhaps the mystery and the uniqueness of these dragons that added to the fame of Team 5DS. So when the new findings from the La Malinche temple came to light, the entire dueling world was abuzz with excitement. To add more to the excitement, the archeology team announced that they also found ancient records recounting the myths of these deities, and they will be releasing the details of their findings at the press release.

This time Industrious Illusion was quick to snatch up a great business opportunity. The developer of duel monsters announced that they will be creating a new set of cards based on the La Malinche find, both reprints of the once-unique signer dragons, as well as new monsters based on those newly-discovered Astez artifacts. The company even managed to negotiate with the archaeology team to host a joint release on the same date, turning a simple academic press release into a high-profile dinner party. That was why Industrious Illusion invited Team 5DS to dinner; all the original signer dragon cards will be on display there, and the company promised them all special edition set of the cards to be released. It took some convincing for Aki to agree to loaning out her Black Rose Dragon for display, but in the end she was glad she agreed; she was rather curious about this newly discovered temple, and it was a good opportunity to see all of her friends, scattered across the globe as they were.

Once there, Aki only found herself besieged by a sea of reporters, fans, or just curious onlookers. She looked around desperately, trying to locate her friends and former teammates, but she saw that they were similarly surrounded. Sighing, she tried her best to forget the others for a while and deal with the people that surrounded her. When she eventually escaped the crowds and into the display room, she found the large room to be almost completely empty. Ironic, but at least she can enjoy the display with no one to interrupt her.

Twelve large glass cases lined the walls of the room, each holding a stone tablet depicting a deity, and also the corresponding duel monster card. Aki first stopped at the display case holding her Black Rose Dragon, the sight of her most steadfast companion brought a smile to her face. Stardust Dragon's case occupied a central place in the room, as was befitting of the leader of the 5DS and the mightiest of them all. Another case held Yusei's Scrap Dragon, and next Ruka's Ancient Sacred Wyvern, past which was her own new champion, Brionac. Aki stopped by Brionac's display to read the descriptions.

"In this age he is known as _Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier_. Aztec myths call him 'Lesser Dragon of the Ice'," So the exposition went, "Like the other lesser dragons in records, he is a gift to Quetzalcoatl from the other three Tezcatlipocas, an ally in the common struggle against the Earthbound Immortals. While he is not a signer dragon, he is held by the chosen vassal of the Crimson Dragon, and his power is also unleashed against the Earthbound Immortals. Lesser Dragon of the Ice emerges from the south, where the blue Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli the glorious God of War, presides. Legends say the Lesser Dragon of the Ice has power over time and can return any creature to an earlier, weaker state."

Aki looked at the ancient stone tablet thoughtfully, eyes tracing the carven outlines of a stylized sea-serpent with wings of ice. Team 5DS's connection with the ancient god ran deep, so it seemed; but as much as it was destiny, the bond they all shared and the love they had for each other was genuine, born in this age and this time and nurtured to maturity by their shared adventures. Ai, how she missed them so!

She finally stopped at the last display case housing a brand new card. "_Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier_", the card says. And the description reads, "Religious texts hail him as 'Trishula, Great Dragon of the Ice'. He is the most powerful sorcerer among all signer dragons, whose ability can bend the very fabric of the universe. It is said in the last struggle against the Earthbound Immortals, Trishula used his magic to banish two enemies into another world, but the dying anger and vengeance of these Earthbound Immortals dragged Trishula away also, and the Great Dragon of the Ice was lost. Bitterly the people mourned the passing of Trishula, and Quetzalcoatl too greatly rued the loss of his beloved vassal."

A signer dragon?! Aki stared at the stone tablet, mesmerized. A lost signer dragon, no less! Was that why none of them received this dragon? But those crystalline wings of Trishula seemed so familiar. Was this her innate connection to a signer dragon? Or was she simply reading too much into ancient religious babble?

"Aki." A familiar voice interrupted her daydreaming.

She whirled around and looked right into the blue eyes of Yusei Fudo. She smiled, feeling happiness welling up, and stepped near him. Yusei leaned in and gave her a little peck on the forehead, almost shyly; they have had an understanding for a while, but it was also difficult to move things along when they lived separate lives in different corners of the world.

"It is so good to see you, Yusei," Aki murmured.

"Same here; I have missed you."

They stood in companionable silence for a while, admiring the carving of Trishula together. Finally Yusei remarked, "He certainly is a powerful creature."

"You mean the vassal of Quetzalcoatl, or the duel monster?" Aki asked with a teasing laugh.

At that Yusei let loose a smile also. "Ah, you know me too well; I admit I am talking about the duel monster and not the mythical demi-god. I suppose there is much more duelist than signer in me. You know, Aki, if it weren't for your and Ruka's power, I would have had a lot more difficulty believing in this whole thing about the Crimson Dragon and struggles against ancient gods."

At the mention of power Aki's eyes clouded, but she kept her smile and said, "And if it weren't for you, Yusei, I would not have been able to believe that my powers could be meant for something truly good. Thank you, Yusei, truly and again."

Despite her casual words, Yusei caught the faint shadows in her eyes and his expression sobered as well. So he said quietly, "Aki, I meant to talk to you about…well, about you. I heard you took a six-month leave from medical school? I don't mean to pry, but did something happen? What is troubling you?"

"It's just that my powers have come back, and they have been growing stronger," Aki replied, keeping her eyes on the display case instead of looking at Yusei, "But don't worry, Yusei, I can control it. I just wanted a short leave so I can get used to handling and controlling my powers once more. I just started doing my practicum at a hospital, and I cannot afford any mistake, which is why I needed some time off to really perfect the control of my power."

There was another silence, and then Yusei said, "You are afraid, Aki."

That wasn't a question; Yusei was simply making a statement. Reluctant but unable to hide anything from Yusei, Aki nodded.

"But why, Aki? If you have control, what are you truly afraid of?"

Aki blinked, hesitant, and even more she was confused. What was she truly afraid of? After a few ponderous moments she said quietly, "I don't really know, but I have been having strange dreams lately, where I would call on my dragons to fight strange enemies. In dreams I have less control, and I often wake up to find my room buried with flowers, or iced over."

"Is that it?" Yusei's eyes gained a new penetrating intensity as he pursued his questioning, "I mean, have the dreams become more intense, or more frequent over time? Are you afraid you might one night do more harm than simply make a room of flowers?"

Aki shook her head slowly and said, "It is not that the dreams have become more intense or more frequent, but it seems my powers have become… stronger and stronger, in a sense."

Yusei's face twitched into a wry smile, and he said, "You were always_ very_ powerful, Aki, I can attest to that personally. You could bring down the roof of the stadium, quite literally, do you not remember?"

Aki blushed furiously and was rendered speechless; she could only mumble something inaudible beneath her breath. So Yusei collected his expression and said with all seriousness, "Are you saying your power has become even stronger than back then? How would you know? Is there any particular incident? Aki, please tell me everything, let me help you figure it out."

There was another long moment of silence. Finally Aki began her story in a troubled voice, "There was this one incident… It was only the third week into my practicum, we had a major emergency at the hospital. It was a serious car accident, and a young boy, only eleven or twelve, was rushed into the emergency room. He had severely damaged organs and massive internal hemorrhaging. Though we were trying everything, there was no hope. The doctor in charge of that emergency operation, Doctor Heinlein, my advisor, I could tell he thought it all hopeless—he had tears in his eyes. And indeed the boy's heart stopped and we could not revive him; he was clinically dead. I was terrified and desperate. It was my first time seeing any patient dying, never mind a boy, so young, so undeserving of it all. I wanted him live, that was the one and only thing that occupied my mind, I just wanted him to live. So he came back alive, and his internal injuries were nearly all gone, just like that, within a matter of a few minutes. Everyone was overjoyed, but the next day Doctor Heinlein asked for leave. He said he needed a long break after something so completely contradictory to all of his knowledge and learning."

When the story finished Aki looked truly miserable, so Yusei put his arms around her. "It seems to me that you did a very good thing, Aki," Yusei said softly, "You saved the life of a child. You saved two parents from a broken heart and a broken life that would never truly heal. Why do you seem so miserable that you have accomplished something so good?"

"I am terrified," Aki murmured and snuggled closer in Yusei's arms. She paused for a long time, as if pondering her words, before saying, "I suppose when I was young I never really thought about my power and just how much liability it is, angry as I was, barely sane. And by the time I could think about it, the battle was over and my powers gone with the sign of the Crimson Dragon. But now… What am I supposed to do with this power, this ability to decide life and death? No one should have that kind of power. Even if I can control my power, for now, even if I only want to help others, how do I know that I wouldn't inadvertently do something terrible? I don't trust myself with such power."

"But if it weren't for such power, the Earthbound Immortals would have taken over the world long ago, or Zone would have won, erasing everything as we know it. Power can serve every purpose, and that purpose is always freely and deliberately chosen. You must not think the worst of yourself, Aki."

"I do not know if I can always make the right choice."

"Of course you can," Yusei said firmly, "Because as you said before, your most fervent wish is to save lives. Believe in the strength of your purpose, Aki, and take care of everyone you meet on your way, and you won't get lost. You will make a great doctor yet, Aki. So that means," Here Yusei added with a smile, "Try not to take too long a break, okay? I still hope to see you back in Neo Domino General after you complete your practicum."

At this Aki finally laughed again. "Thank you, Yusei, thank you so much," She said, "You always show me the way." She leaned it as if wanting to offer a kiss, but suddenly her motion stilled and a strange, confused look stole her face once more.

"What is it, Aki?"

"Do you hear something?" Aki asked with furrowed brow, "I think I hear someone chanting…"

"Aki, we are the only ones in this display room," Yusei said slowly.

"Do you really not hear anything, but…!"

Aki looked around wildly, for she heard clearly a strong and deep baritone voice chanting, "From the foundered land, from the flowing sea, from the light of the north and the fury of the deep…"

A sudden pain assailed Aki's right arm, and to her utter surprise, she saw the mark of the Crimson Dragon, a single sharpened claw, glowing on her arm. The display case in front of them was ignited by an explosion of golden light; the card depicting Trishula glowed white and vibrated. As if answering Trishula's call, a few more display cases also lit up.

"Aki!" Yusei called and tightened his arms around Aki, for he felt something pulling at the girl in his arms, as if trying to wrestle her away from his embrace. He held on to Aki with all his strength, but to no avail. The display case in front of him glowed so bright that he had to close his eyes momentarily, and when he opened his eyes again, Aki was nowhere to be seen.

Aki did not know where she was either. One moment she was still in Yusei's arms, and the next moment she was somewhere else, with no solid ground beneath her, weightless and falling. The chanting of the baritone voice grew louder, and she heard, "From your wintry abode arise, rise and greet me!"

Someone is dueling? Summoning a monster? That was Aki's last thought before everything turned black.

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**Note: Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier actually made a brief appearance in 5DS anime. But let's pretend, for the sake of my story, that it is a never before seen card and only made after that archaeology discovery, blablabla, lol. **


	2. Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

**2. Trishula, Dragon of the Ice barrier**

On the third day since the Stone of Erech the Grey Company came to the town of Linhir above the mouth of Gilrain. It is the widest river they encountered on this furious ride yet, endless the smooth water seemed in the darkness, and seabirds cried on the shores. Even as the exhausted company camped down to rest for a while, Aragorn cast his shadowy cloak about him and slipped away from the rest, heading towards the river.

As he was about to disappear from the sight of the rest of the Company, Elladan suddenly appeared, looking at him sternly.

"Hither to, brother?" The elder son of Elrond asked, "You should not wander away from the company; none knows what haunts these shores. And should you not rest at this hour? The road before us is still long."

Aragorn stayed silent for a long moment, before saying in a low voice, "The river widens here; we are near the sea, Elladan."

Elrohir blinked once at those cryptic words, before exclaiming, "The sea? We have taught you well, but surely we could not have infected you with sea-madness? Even I do not pine at the cries of the gulls, not yet."

At this Aragorn smiled, rather wistfully. "Aye Elladan, I hope it is long before the gulls lure my brother away yet!" He said, "But I do not pine for the sea, I only thought that…" He stopped here, brow furrowing slightly, as if trying to construct his explanation with care. Eventually he said, "The Path of the Dead reminded me, perhaps there are other allies to call upon. Long ago in my youth I came upon someone, and he said should I have need of him, he would come to me from the sea. I do not know if he will come, in truth I know very little of his true nature. But great is our need, I thought it merits an attempt. Now that you are here, Elladan, will you come with me? Your wisdom will do me well here."

So Elladan nodded and followed. They walked on for nearly half an hour before Aragorn finally stopped beside the river. Here it was so close to the sea that the air smelt of salt, and the river water beat with the rhythm of the tides.

"We should be well away from prying eyes," Aragorn said.

"And what now?"

Aragorn shook his head but did not answer; he began murmuring something under his breath. Even as he murmured those silent words, a wind seemed to pick up and it became bitterly cold about them. Elladan found himself shivering, and quite alarmed. Half-elven he may be, he was still untroubled by ordinary heat or cold like all Elves, unless it was the furious cold of the Grinding Ice. If _he, _a Firstborn,was shivering in the cold, Aragorn would not fare so well.

"Aragorn! Are you not cold? This feels unnatural…"

"Cold?" Aragorn looked at his adopted brother with puzzlement, "It is the depth of winter, but here in the Southern Kingdom it is never so cold…" Here he suddenly stopped and gasped, turning and looking at the river, backing up a few steps almost involuntarily.

"You have come!"

Following his brother's gaze, Elladan looked toward the river and saw nothing. There was only the empty stretch of water smooth like black stone, reflecting a few rays of stray moonlight that somehow pierced through the clouds. But it _felt _like something was there; a sinister presence that was also bitter cold.

Aragorn fixed all of his attention towards that invisible creature. He bowed slightly and said, "I am most honoured to see you once more, Ancient One."

Elladan hissed, "What devilry is this? What do you see there?"

"Do you not see him? He rises above the water," Aragorn sounded genuinely surprised.

"Aragorn!" Elladan put a hand on his brother's arm, "I do not see what you see, but I sense something. A

cold, sinister presence …Ai, by Elbereth!"

He finally saw it. When Elladan took hold of Aragorn's arm, it was as if the darkness obscuring his vision was suddenly swept away. There, right in front of them, rising from the smooth black surface of the river, was an enormous monstrosity taller than a troll. The creature was half immersed in water; its lower torso was not seen, but its long tail was partially visible, rising above the water and dipping below again and again. It had a pair of short limbs that ended in enormous claws, and _three_ triangular, snake-like heads, with a pair of wide, wide wings that looked unlike the wings of any known creature. The monster was silvery-white in colour, nearly transparent under the wan moonlight, a wraith rather than a thing of flesh and blood. One of the three heads moved closer and closer to them, until it was only a few arm's span from Aragorn's face; the icy maw cracked open and a thunderous roar tore through the night.

Instinctively Elladan's hand went to the hilt of his sword. With a single swift stroke, the blade leapt forth from its sheath and shone like a white brand in the night. But Aragorn raised his hand. "No, Elladan! He is not an enemy."

_The roar begs to differ_, Elladan thought wryly as the creature screamed once more. He gripped his sword tighter, ready to spring into action. But the creature did not attack, only spoke in an enraged voice, "Foolish, irresponsible man! Why do you call on me only now?!"

Such a sight would have sent any lesser man running for his life, but Aragorn stood his ground. He bowed slightly and said, "I do not mean to trouble you needlessly, Ancient One, but great is my need at this hour, and once you vowed to me that you shall always answer my call."

"Needlessly? Needlessly!" The creature's six eyes glowed wrathfully, "Yes, I said I shall always answer your call, and I meant it! You shall call on me when you are in danger, when you need to wage war on your foes, when you simply seek companionship, not once every seventy years! I told you I am your servant, your champion, and I am appointed to you for a great purpose, did such mean _nothing_ to you? How many times have you lain at death's door, and you did not even _think_ of calling me to help?"

Elladan looked towards Aragorn, alarm and wariness clear in his posture. He did not relax his hold on the sword even one bit. Claims of loyalty and destiny from an unimaginably fantastic dragonic wraith cannot mean anything good.

"You have aided me many times in those long years since our first meeting," Aragorn said quietly, "And I thank you most heartily, Ancient One…"

"Not many times, thrice, thrice only! As you lay dying in some dark places, and not because you called on me, only because I could come to you since you are by a great body of water. And all those times I feel you in great duress but far from my reach? I was left wondering alone if you would pass before the task appointed to you is completed, if I should slumber once more while darkness overruns this Earth. Irresponsible creature!" The long immaterial tail of icy light whipped out of the river and slapped the night air, as if adding emphasis.

"The need is great now, you say. Yes, the need is great indeed. The Earthbound Immortals have awakened, and yet I still cannot manifest a physical form in this world; the most I can do is a whiff of wind or a few snowflakes. And you are an utter stranger to the secrets of ceremonial duels. Foolish creature! How do you hope to fight this war now?"

After the thunderous tirade concluded with another roar, there was only a stunned silence. Finally Elladan asked quietly, "Have you any idea of what the creature speaks?"

"None at all," Aragorn said drily, "I was eighteen when I first met him, stranded in the bitter cold of the North Linden seashore, and half frightened to death by his appearance. It took all the power I possessed to just understand he meant me no harm; all his other speeches were a blur."

"Eighteen? North Linden?" Elladan was surprised, "Do you mean that time when you became separated from Elrohir and me and got caught in the storm? So this creature was the reason you returned in one piece with no ostensible hurt? You said nothing of a sea monster then!"

"I did not think you would believe me," Aragorn murmured, "Indeed I had trouble believing myself. If he did not reappear before me thrice since, I would have written off my own memories as fever-induced fantasies."

"And you are certain he means no harm? What do you know of his origin and purpose?"

Aragorn shook his head slowly, before answering, "I do not know what he is, save what he told me, but I am certain he bears me no ill will. He had only ever appeared in my hour of direst need and saved me from a certain death. If he is a force serving the Dark Lord I would not be standing here today. And he knew my true name since our very first meeting…"

"What?!" A shocked Elladan could not help but exclaim.

"Aye, even before I was made aware of my own identity, he called me Aragorn, son of Arathorn heir of Isildur—which is another reason why I did not tell you and Elrohir of my rescue by a wraith-like sea monster then. I thought of course I could not be the heir of Isildur, so the whole encounter must be some strange fantasy of my own making."

Elladan looked as if he was about to question some more, but the creature spoke once again. "Though late is supposedly better than never, master," He sounded like he was grumbling, "Now, what is your purpose here, Aragorn son of Arathorn? I am your servant. Yet if you would like to have my true power at your side, oh chosen one of the Crimson Dragon, you must nurture our bond. Carry an avatar of me with you; without it I cannot reach you unless you are near water, especially when you are too obstinate to call on me yourself."

Elladan glanced at his brother. Aragorn's expression remained unchanged; he only requested, "I seek a swift road to Minas Tirith, which is northeast of here. I need a bridge over this river so my company can cross quickly and a favorable north wind once we reach the Great River. Such manipulation of the elements I know is within your power, Ancient One."

The creature nodded one of its three heads, and the other two moved closer, eyes peering at him, "A bridge over this river? A bridge of ice, is that what you envision? I can make the attempt, master, but this river is wide, and my power over the physical world is limited in spirit form. You must lend me your strength; summon me to your world so that I may unleash my full power."

Aragorn hesitated only a moment, before asking, "What must I do?"

The three heads moved slowly, as if pondering, before the creature said with a suffering sigh, "There is much you should know but I cannot teach. I sense you are pressed for time, so for now I shall tell you of the summoning chant." One of the heads moved uncomfortably near and seemed to be whispering beside Aragorn, while another head said out loud, "Say the chant, call my name, and put your power in your words. I shall come fully into your world then."

Before Aragorn could answer, Elladan gripped his arm, more forcefully this time. "_Muindor nin_," He hissed in the Grey tongue, "_Have a care! Incantations of power are not to be taken lightly! And the creature is unknown to us."_

Even as he said these words, the wraith-like creature before him let loose a low, rumbling laugh. Aragorn gave the creature a look, before saying quietly to his elven brother, "Do you trust my judgment, Elladan?"

"You know I do, yet," Elladan was still unconvinced, "Still we know nothing of him…"

"He is bound to me, and would never betray me," Aragorn said quietly, "Since the first meeting I have not feared that he should do me harm; it is something else that I feared all those years. But now our need is great."

They fell silent for a while, then Aragorn took a step back and began chanting in a clear and slow voice, "From the foundered land, from the flowing sea, from the light of the north and the fury of the deep, from your wintry abode arise, rise and greet me! _Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier_!"

As he spoke rings of light gathered, glowing and spinning in the pitch black of the night. When the name of the creature was pronounced, a single beam of burning white light rose from the dark water, shooting up into the sky. Another earth-shaking roar, and a pair of crystalline wings unfolded from the pillar of white light, so wide they nearly blotted out the sky. When the light finally dimmed, they saw there the same creature, but no longer a wraith, instead a mighty creature of solid silver-blue scale, glistening and shimmering like a statue of ice. One long neck curved low, and the snake-like head moved close to Aragorn, yellow eyes shining with joy. As if sensing the creature's desire, Aragorn raised his hand and gently stroked the creature's head.

"Not bad at all for a first attempt, considering you know nothing of duels," The creature rumbled, voice more solid and even louder than before, but strangely gentle and merry, "You have indeed a powerful soul, master. You should do even better with some practice, but this is enough for your purpose, for now. I shall go build you that bridge."

The creature sank back down into the river, icy form disappearing underneath the black water. They saw a streak of silver head upstream, and then the faint sound of crackling ice reached their ears.

"We should prepare the company to cross the river, brother," Aragorn said.

If any of the Grey Company felt unease at the massive ice bridge that suddenly materialized over the river of Gilrain, none voiced any doubt. They have seen enough unnatural sights in the past few days, one more would be no trouble, so long as their chieftain seemed confident and in control. As for the folks of Lambden, Aragorn spoke once more to Angbor their lord, reassuring him personally that the bridge was a gift from friendly forces and sound for crossing. But as the company crossed, Elrohir spoke quietly to his twin brother, saying, "A presence stirs beneath the water, watching us. Does Aragorn know of this? Surely you sense it, brother."

"Of course I sense him; indeed, I can still see him," Elladan said drily, even as one silvery head bobbed up just above the black water, giving him a look, before ducking below once more.

Even a few horses nickered softly, sensing the monster just below the river surface. Elrohir started, but Elladan put a hand on his arm before he could draw his sword. "Nay, brother mine, no need to be concerned," Ellada said, "That is only Estel's new pet. Or perhaps I should say old pet, for it seems they knew each other since Estel's boyhood, though he never spoke of it."

In front of them Aragorn pulled his horse to a halt and dismounted. He motioned for his men to move ahead, but himself knelt down at the edge of the ice bridge and murmured to the river, "You should not linger here, Ancient One; you are spooking the horses. Go, come to me again on the Great River, I will have of need of you then."

The icy head rose above the water surface, nodding, and the creature replied, "Call my name then, when you come to the Great River. In the meanwhile, will you not make an avatar for me? You face many tasks and dangers, and the darkness of the Earthbound Immortals presses ever nearer; I want to be by your side always."

"I will," Aragorn promised. He pondered a moment if he should question Trishula about these "Earthbound immortals" the creature spoke of, but decided against it. He had more pressing tasks at the moment.

The Grey Company rested only a little while longer on the eastern bank of Gilrain, before setting out once more. They rode eastward into the Plain of Lebennin while it was still dark, away from the rising sun. By midday there were nearly halfway across Lebinin, now surrounded by tall grass and field flowers rolling away on all four sides like a green sea. The company's pace has slowed to a jog, for horses and men alike were exhausted.

With the more leisurely pace, Legolas allowed his gaze to wander, which is why he suddenly exclaimed, "I see something glittering in the grass. Strange, they seem like large sheets of crystal or glass, with images engraved upon them. Elladan, Elrohir, do you see those as I do?"

"Aye, my eyes caught their glitter," Replied Elrohir, "A curiosity that we do not have the leisure to track, Legolas."

But Elladan cocked his head and squinted, murmuring, "One of those images, it seems like…"Here he drew a sharp breath and said more loudly, "Aragorn, allow me leave for a moment. I must check on this, but I will return shortly."

Before Aragorn could say ought Elladan wheeled his horse around, headings towards the glitters in the grass. He returned not long after and rode up directly to Aragorn. "My eyes did not deceive me," He said quietly to Aragorn, extending his hand, "I believe this should be yours, brother."

Aragorn took the object from Elladan and saw it was a rectangular box of sort, clear and hard as if made of glass or crystal, but much lighter, and it did not feel brittle. Inside the box was a miniature painting of a fantastic creature with three heads, and a few lines of unrecognizable runes were written above and below the painting. Aragorn stared apprehensively at the image of the silver-blue sea monster. Even as he held the box, the runes around the painting began to morph, slithering about the paper as if a living creature, before settling in the form of Tengwar runes.

"By Elbereth!" Elladan exclaimed, before looking closely at the runes, "_'Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier'_—is that the name of your creature, Aragorn?" To which Aragorn nodded.

Elladan shook his head, saying, "The word 'dragon' certainly does not inspire confidence. Why share a name with the creatures of Morgoth?"

"Indeed, I told him the same upon first hearing the name, and he was greatly offended," Aragorn mused, turning the box over in his hand, "I suppose this is the avatar he had in mind? At least he should be happy now." With that he tucked the crystal box into his herb pouch with care.

"Aragorn," Elladan hesitated a moment, but eventually he held out another similar box for his brother to see, "There was another. What of the creature depicted here? Have you ever encountered it?"

Aragorn looked on the other encased painting with unabated shock, but before he could answer, a low rumble sounded beside his ear. "He too is a vassal of the Crimson Dragon, a brother of mine, a beloved comrade," Said Trishula, transparent spirit form hovering right beside Aragorn, "He and his holder are near! Can you not feel them? You are a signer after all, you should sense each other."

"What do you mean? Speak plainly!"

The dragon touched Aragorn's right forearm with an immaterial claw. "The sign of the Crimson Dragon, right here. The others will bear these marks too. That's how you will know each other."

"What mark…?" Aragorn's question was cut short by a half-choked scream.

An intense burning pain suddenly washed over his arm, as if someone pressed a white-hot brand there. But even more horrifying than the pain, he saw his arm was _glowing_, bathed in blood-red light that traced the outline of what seemed like a claw. Mangled images assailed his vision: a dark and stormy sea shore, black clouds broiling, an enormous monster rising from the sea, and a young girl with red hair… Beside him Trishula raised all three heads and screamed. The creature should still be invisible to mortal eyes, hovering in spirit form as he was, but so loud was his roaring that his presence became unmistakable. Horses began neighing with panic, and the riders looked about with fear as they tried to control their steeds.

"Trishula! Be quiet!" Aragorn hissed, clasping his right arm in an iron grip to still the pain. He then turned to his company and said, "Be calm! There is nothing amiss. Let us take a brief respite nonetheless and calm the horses; let the beasts drink their fill. We are all weary; it is no use pressing on in this state."

Most men were relieved and hurriedly dismounted, trying their best to calm the frightened horses. Elladan and Elrohir came to Aragorn's side, looking at him with clear concern, and Halbarad rushed up also. "What is going on, Aragorn? Is there ought amiss?" Halbarad's gaze drifted to Aragorn's arm, and he looked even more alarmed, "Is your arm injured? You seem in pain, Aragorn."

Aragorn shook his head. "No, I am not hurt, though I do need a moment to myself. Will you look after Roheryn for me, kinsman? And I will return shortly." He did not even wait for Halbarad's nod before taking off.

Halbarad looked after his chieftain with bemusement and worry, before turning to Elladan and Elrohir. "Know you what haunts our Chieftain?" He asked the half-elven.

Elrohir looked confused, and Elladan only shook his head. "Nothing good, I fear," He murmured darkly.

Aragorn kept walking for a few minutes, once he placed enough distance between himself and the company that even the keen eyes of the elves would not espy him speaking to empty air, he stood still and sighed. "What is happening, Trishula? Explain yourself at once!" He commanded.

"A duel commences! An _Earthbound Immortal_ has emerged into the world of the living, and the newly-come signer is fighting him." The creature's immaterial form was circling around him with agitation, stirring up a storm of silver-blue light, "Master, we must go and aid her!"

Aragorn shook his head firmly. "The greatest task of my life lies before me, Ancient One. Minas Tirith burns even as we speak! I would not, and cannot, abandon this road, or even take a detour. I must ride to Minas Tirith with all speed, ere the last defense of the West falls to the Enemy."

"You are a vassal of the Crimson Dragon!" Trishula sounded increasingly more agitated, "It is your task to protect this Earth from the shadows of the Earthbound Immortals. The other signer fighting this duel right now, she is without the avatar of her dragon, for it is in your hand! She cannot triumph over an Earthbound Immortal without one of the signer dragons."

Aragorn's eyes flashed dangerously and he said in a low but grim voice, "Make no mistake, Trishula, I serve no one. None can claim to be my master, save the good of all Free People of Middle Earth."

"I cannot command you, for you are my master," Replied Trishula unhappily, "But at least let me show you."

Even as Trishula said these words, Aragorn's vision darkened. Green grass and field flowers fell away, a stretch of stormy seashorer rolled up before his eyes. The boundless black sea was stirring, and something howled in the wind. And lo! A sudden light leaped in the darkness, but nothing warm and endearing, for it was a ring of bluish flame, hovering like swamp ghosts. The same eerie glow lit up the lead-grey clouds above, the blue light tracing the outline of a crocodile.

"_Cia Pactillu!_" Trishula roared, "The shadow of the sea, the ever hungering devourer!"

Aragorn saw two people stood facing each other inside the ring of blue fire. One was a red-haired woman: she was small-statured and seemed just past twenty, young like the first rose bud of summer; her attires were strange but took nothing away from her incredible beauty, and her amber eyes were shining with a frightening fierceness. Standing opposite her was a tall and stately warrior whose proud bearings spoke of the bitter glory of a seasoned captain. When Aragorn finally saw the face of the warrior he let loose a terrible cry.

"Boromir!"


	3. Earthbound Revival

AN: This chapter is a little shorter than the promised 4k, mostly because this is what happens when you don't write in order... Anyway I promise I shall update 4 faster to make up for the lack of length here!

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**3. Earthbound Revival**

Aki woke and found herself lying on a beach, like some shipwrecked poor soul. Above her were layers upon layers of lead grey clouds, and it seemed a storm was brewing. The sea was dark, and the tides sounded restless. She stood up blearily, trying to get an idea of where she was, but could not even tell east from west. Dazed but driven by some instinct, Aki reached a hand into her coat pocket; feeling her deck still there she breathed, and already she felt calmer. She even carried a miniature duel pad with her at the behest of the event organizer, and with her powers in full bloom, at least she would not lack the means to protect herself, no matter what this place may be.

After taking a few seconds to simply _breathe_, Aki opened her eyes and studied her surroundings. All she could see was the black broiling sea, the seemingly endless beaches, and what seemed like grassy plains in the direction opposite of the water. There were no buildings, no man-made features, and nothing to tell directions. Aki looked around wildly, feeling the panic in her chest swell. Where was she? What was going on? In her wild search of the beach she eventually noticed a plastic case lying half-buried in the sand—it was her _Brionac_ card she loaned to the event organizer. Wasn't it sitting in one of those secured display cases, alongside the ancient stone tablet from Mexico? How did it end up here on a desolate beach? Still, she picked up the card case and pocketed it with relish; the presence of one more companion was comforting, even if _Brionac_ made her feel more acutely the absence of her _Black Rose Dragon_. After she had scoured the patch of beach she was standing on for everything there was to see, Aki decided to start walking.

She was utterly lost, so the best she could do was decide on one direction and start walking along the beach, praying fervently that she would run into some kind of port or fishing village. She had been walking for nearly half an hour, over empty stretches of rocks and sand, when finally she saw a man standing not far away. Never so happy to see another human being, Aki raced forward.

"Sir! Excuse me, but I could really use some help…"

Her sentence stopped abruptly, for a wave of repressive darkness suddenly assailed her senses, and she felt she could barely breathe. Someone was murmuring in a strange language, garbled words that made no sense but still inspired terror nonetheless. The sky had turned utterly black, lit only by faint traces of an eerie blue light, and she heard the muffled sound of steady _beats_, the hum of a war drum, or the beating of a heart, all too familiar.

Someone was performing the rites to summon an Earthbound Immortal.

_How was this possible? _So confused was Aki she barely noticed her arm lighting up, glowing with the blood red outlines of a dragon claw. But a signer's instinctual purpose made her take a few steps forward despite her confusion and terror. She now saw clearly a tall and broad man with wheat-coloured hair, dressed like a swordsman out of some fantasy novel, sword and shield and all, and indeed looking the part. He would have been a very handsome man, if his eyes were not completely black, with only two faint specks of blue that were his irises.

A dark signer!

She saw the man took something that looked like a small wooden figurine from a bag at his side and threw it in the air. There was a faint glow, and then a creature materialized in front of the man, hovering in midair and glowing. The creature was a frog to be precise: a yellow black-spotted frog with a pair of small _wings_ emerging from right below the frog's head. That was the _Treeborn Frog_, Aki narrowed her eyes in thought, one of the most potent creatures due to its ability to emerge from the dead at every turn, ready to be offered as tribute for some mightier creature—such as an Earthbound Immortal. So without thinking over much, she drew the first card of her deck from her pocket and held it aloft in front of her.

"Arise before me, faithful _Botanical Lion_," She called, "And attack that _Treeborn Frog_!"

A feline roar tore through the air, and the lion emerged from nothingness, flower petals and leaves flying in its wake. _Botanical Lion_ pounced at the yellow frog and the little creature vanished with a single croak.

"What is this? How dare you!"

The blonde warrior finally turned to face Aki, looking angry. He spoke in a strange language that Aki was pretty sure she had never heard before, but somehow she understood him. Even as he spoke, the faint traces of blue light in the dark clouds glowed brighter, and blue flame suddenly sprang from the ground, encircling the two of them in a ring of dark fire.

Aki clenched her teeth and asked, "A duel, is that what you want? Do you even know what you are doing?"

"I know perfectly well what I am doing," The warrior barked at her, "But you, meddlesome child, you should leave while you still have a chance. You stumbled upon something much beyond your understanding. I do not wish you harm, but you cannot stand in my way."

"In the way of what? What are you trying to do? Do you even know the full meanings of your actions?" Aki pursued her questioning, eyes locked on the strange medieval warrior, "And my understanding is more complete than yours at least. You rose from the dead, didn't you? Did some disembodied voice offer you another life, another chance, and power to do whatever it is you so desperately wanted to do before you died? I do not fault you for believing, but you cannot continue. That disembodied voice you are trying to unleash will devour the entire world if it had a chance."

The warrior was clearly startled by her words. He stood frozen for a while, brow furrowed and eyes confused, all the while the ring of blue fire around them burned brighter. When the blonde warrior finally did speak, he said, "None of it is any of your business, lady. Get you gone! I wish you no harm, but I will do what I must."

"And I will do what I must; you will not unleash an Earthbound Immortal while I stand here," Aki answered, "The duel is on! I end my turn, so make your move." With that she pulled her duel pad from her pocket and swept it onto her left wrist, then she slotted her deck into the device as if readying her sword.

The blonde warrior looked thoroughly irked by her presence, and he said with a cold laugh, "I know not what you speak of, nor do I care for your speech. Just try hinder me, and I hope you can live long enough to regret it." With that the warrior muttered something, and another creature materialized before him; this time it was a small fish enclosed by a glass ball and many mechanical contraptions.

_Fishborg Blaster_. Aki realized, feeling her hands growing cold. There is no stopping whatever Earthbound Immortal from emerging to the field now; the best she could hope for was winning the duel quickly and sealing that hungering ancient god once more.

"I will stop you," She muttered vehemently and drew up her cards, slapping down one more on her duel pad, "Bloom for me, _Lonefire Blossom_; and activate its effect to special summon _Gigaplant_ to the field. Battle! _Botanical Lion_, destroy that fish, and _Gigaplant, _take him down!"

Her monsters barraged into the small fish, and then steamrolled into the blonde warrior himself. The warrior seemed like a seasoned fighter, for he drew his sword and dealt a skillful counterblow to the rampaging plants, though he could not overcome the superior strength of these supernatural creatures and was thrown on his back. So he dropped his sword, rolled aside, and scrambled up once more, without even forgetting to reclaim his sword. So fluid and swift was his motion that he seemed completely unfazed by the attack. Aki narrowed her eyes; _Gigaplant _only did 2400 damage, she still had a long battle before her.

The blonde warrior straightened and said in an angry voice, "How dare you raise your hands against your betters, wench! If you insist on ignoring my warning, then I shall no longer hold back. You will become the first sacrifice to the great immortal!"

_Treeborn Frog_ reappeared before the warrior, then a few moments later _Fishborg Blaster_ materialized once more. Without the proper dueling contraption, and without even announcement of moves made, Aki had no way of knowing exactly what her opponent did. She only caught a flash of something, another fish creature, suddenly appearing and then disappearing, before _Fishborg Blaster_ rematerialized. What did her opponent send to grave to regenerate _Fishborg Blaster_ exactly? _Fishborg Planter? _Or a _Frog_ monster? Dueling like this will not be easy, she thought grimly.

But at least there didn't seem to be any field card yet; an Earthbound Immortal would have no effect if summoned now.

Even as she tried to decipher her opponent's moves, she saw _Treeborn Frog_ and _Fishborg Blaster _both changing into two balls of light and blinking out of existence. Then a thunderous crash overhead, and the layers upon layers of dark storm clouds split open. The once faint traces of blue light now glowed so brightly that the sky seemed to be lit by the same blue fire that surrounded them.

"Oh great immortal of resurrection, come to me!" So cried the warrior, raising his sword high, "My soul I willingly offer to you, for the salvation of my people! Descend, _Earthbound Immortal Cia Pactillu_!"

From the fissure in the clouds a creature at least five-story tall slowly descended. It looked like a crocodile of sort, only that it was completely black, and its body was decorated by many glowing blue lines. And the sword in the blonde warrior's hand swung down in a fluid line to point at Aki, like a general giving the order to charge. "Kill her," He said, "She is your first meal, oh great immortal!"

Aki closed her eyes and braced herself.

_Cia Pactillu_'s attack crashed into her like a hurricane. She was thrown back as if a helpless boat caught in the fierce waves, no escape, no way to fight back, and barely staying afloat. It hurt so much she couldn't even scream. When she finally managed to push back the haze of pain, she glanced at the life point counter on her duel pad—she only had 5000 life points left, though _Gigaplant_ and _Botanical Lion_ were still on the field.

_What?!_ How could _Cia Pactillu_ have his effect without a field card? Aki looked around wildly and saw nothing but the grey sky, the empty beach, and the stormy sea. Maybe there was a field card, or something that counts as a field card? Something she could neither see nor sense? Aki was growing more desperate with every turn of the duel. An Earthbound Immortal already cannot be affected by spell or trap cards, now even removing the field card thus destroying _Cia _Pactillu no longer seemed an option, for she could neither see nor sense that field card, or perhaps it was never there to begin with, and this _Earthbound Immortal Cia Pactillu _does not need one. But there must be another way, there _always_ is. So Aki scrambled up and stood as straight as she could.

"My turn!" Aki called, slapping two cards down on her duel pad, "Come to me, protector of all things growing, _Twilight Rose Knight_! And by its effect, special summon _Hedge Guard_. Now tuning! Cold tides engulf these tainted shores; sea-borne guardian, rise from your wintry slumber! Synchro summon! To me, _Brionac Dragon of the Ice Barrier_!"

From a sheet of white light that suddenly broke the monotony of the darkness all around a pair of silver-blue wings unfolded, translucent and glittering, beautiful but deathly dangerous. With a warlike scream _Brionac'_s form appeared fully, long armored body coiled, arms crossed before its chest and claws gleaming.

Aki smiled up at her faithful champion and murmured, "Thank you, and good to see you here, _Brionac_." She raised her voice and called out, "Activating _Brionac_'s effect, discard _Glow-up Bulb_ to return your _Earthbound Immortal Cia Pactillu_ to your hand—he will go back to where he came from!"

_Brionac _screamed again and began beating its crystalline wings, stirring up its magic. But the blue-black crocodile stood perfectly still with no sign of disappearing, and it snarled at them with something akin to scorn. The blonde warrior laughed and said, "Look at you and your pathetic attempt! Do you truly think such infantile sorcery will have any effect on the great immortal _Cia Pactillu_? Fool! _Cia Pactillu_ will not be made a target of any petty magic! You fought valiantly, I will give you such, but valiance without power is simple foolishness, the most useless kind. I should pity you, clueless child that you are, but your fate has been sealed."

Aki became very pale, and she was biting down so hard on her bottom lip she could taste blood. If _Cia Pactillu_ could not be _targeted_ by card effect at all, what could she possibly do? Her only weapon would be _Black Rose Dragon_, whose power would blindly destroy all without targeting, but that was the one card she did not have! What else? Is there ought else in her deck that can take down this _Earthbound Immortal Cia Pactillu_?

Sometime during her furious thinking she saw _Treeborn Frog_ reappear in front of the blonde warrior. It looked puny next to the great _Earthbound Immortal_, but Aki knew it was every bit as dangerous. With another flash, _Fishborg Blaster_ reappeared as well. White light swallowed both fish creatures, and the golden-haired warrior called out, "From the cold depth emerge now, great lord of the seven waters, _Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth_! Unleash your power and bring to the field one more ally from the depth of the sea!"

When Aki saw that her opponent only special summoned one more _Fishborg Planter _to the field, she became even more alarmed rather than relieved. _Coelacanth'_s effect does not come cheaply, it couldn't possibly be just for a _Fishborg Planter_. What did her opponent want to achieve that he was willing to pay the cost of discarding a card to the grave? Unless he was _trying_ to put something in the grave, either to manipulate the number of monsters in the grave or for some effect to activate there…

Her answer came soon enough. "And finally, the strongest vassal of the great immortal of the sea is ready to emerge," The golden-haired warrior roared, "Rise now, _Elemental Lord Moulinglacia_, and obliterate her."

A stream of salty spring shot up from the ground, the liquid freezing into ice even as it sprang into open air; the ice slowly morphed into form of an enormous monster, blue and gold and towering like a siege engine, terrifyingly powerful. Aki felt a gust of wind whip by her like a thousand knives, and she could do nothing except shield her face. When the wind died she suddenly realized that she was holding fewer cards than she should; the _Spore_ and _Rosaria the Stately Fallen Angel_ she was holding a minute earlier were now lying on the ground. She wanted to pick those cards up, but an unseen hand snatched up these cards and deposited them into the graveyard section of her duel pad.

So this is the power of _Elemental Lord Moulinglacia_.

Aki pursed her lips and didn't say anything, but already she was feeling better. It was just as she expected, her opponent was using _Coelacanth_'s power to manipulate the number of water-attribute monsters in the grave to summon _Moulin Glacia_, but as powerful as the elemental lord of water may be, it wasn't enough to obliterate her. She would not lose this turn, not yet. As long as she could hold out all the attacks and pull herself up to conduct her next turn, there is hope yet.

Aki glanced at the last two cards in her hand, _Mark of the Rose_ and _Advance Draw_, and smiled. She may be standing in the middle of a foreign, desolate beach, far away from everything known and familiar, but she was not alone; she would never be alone. Even now she was holding her bond and her love in her hand—_Advance Draw_ was a gift from Yusei, after they had a lively debate over whether this card was really worth playing and all the potential uses. And fate proved Yusei to be the wiser duelist, for this card was about to buy her two more cards into her deck and one more turn to execute her counterattack. Which will be enough, in that she must believe.

"Ready to die?" The warrior across from her waved his sword and snarled at her.

Aki smiled at him instead, her smile cold and fierce. "Come at me," She said.

The opponent's sea creatures all screeched at her angrily, and just when it seemed _Coelacanth _about to attack, when another dragonic roar resonated in the distance, powerful and furious. Someone was calling to them, though his words were muffled. Aki felt her heart race, and she spun around, nearly calling out Yusei's name. The presence drawing near was unmistakably that of a signer; she could feel her arm burning with the Crimson Dragon's mark, and she thought she could even hear the faint cry of the great Dragon himself. But when she turned she did not come face to face with Yusei's blue eyes as she expected.

She saw a dragon, silver-blue and glittering with ice light just like her own _Brionac,_ except it was much larger and had _three_ heads. That would be _Truishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier_, the lost signer dragon according to legends, Aki realized.

A man stood before the dragon. He was exceptionally tall, even taller than Jack and Bruno, and he was also garbed like some medieval knight, and his hair was dark. His left hand was clasped over his right forearm, and Aki could see threads of crimson light shooting forth between his fingers—the sign of the Crimson Dragon was glowing on his arm. Though he was a complete stranger, he was undoubtedly a _signer_.

But the strange signer barely seemed to notice Aki, he was staring straight at the one who summoned _Cia Pacitllu_, and he seemed both joyful and sad.

"Boromir, son of Denethor!" The new comer cried, "Many days have passed since we spoke words of parting, but now you have returned unlooked for, beyond the wildest hopes and joy! Will you not greet me, Boromir?"


	4. Self-Destruction Button

**4. Self-Destruction Button**

When Aragorn returned he seemed to be in an especially foul mood; his face was dark, and his eyes glittered dangerously. Seeing him thus Halbarad's brow furrowed with shock and worry. Something must be _truly _amiss; he could not remember the last time he saw Aragorn wearing such a grim expression.

Aragorn walked towards Halbarad and the elven twins, and he said to them in a low voice, "Halbarad, my brothers, I must beg a favour…" He paused for a moment, as if pondering his words, and at last he sighed with something akin to frustration, before saying, "Let me speak plainly. Something urgent has come to my attention, and I must depart for a while. I know what you should think, that surely nothing can be more urgent than arriving at Minas Tirith before the Enemy razes it to the ground, but this matter I cannot choose to overlook."

"While I am away, let men and horses rest for a while; we rode through the night and are all weary, a few hours of rest would do us well. I should be back within two hours, three at most, and we shall be ready to depart. If need be we shall ride into the night once more."

Halbarad seemed as if he wanted to argue in the beginning, but by the time Aragorn finished speaking he was ready to accept his chieftain's decision and shifted his mind to more practical matters. "But surely you cannot go off alone, Aragorn. The enemy knows you now and hunts you; the danger is too great!" Halbarad urged, "Let someone go with you."

And Elrohir nodded at that, "You kinsman speaks true, Aragorn. Let Elladan and I go with you."

Aragorn glanced at Elladan and Elrohir and sighed again. "I would welcome any help, yet," He said, "I am going far, too far for our horses. I planned to…Aye, we shall see." He paused a moment, and turned to Halbarad, saying quietly, "I trust you to lead the others, Halbarad; be assured, and reassure others for me, that no matter what rises before your eyes it is no art of the Enemy." With that he nodded to the three of them and began walking away from the company. Elladan and Elrohir exchanged a look, and followed closely behind. While Aragorn walked he began murmuring something in a barely audible whisper; though his voice was quiet, Elladan and Elrohir's elven hearing still caught all the words.

"From the foundered land, from the flowing sea, from the light of the north and the fury of the deep, from your wintry abode arise, rise and greet me! Come, _Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier_!"

A white light flared in front of them, and when the light dimmed they saw an enormous creature crouched in the grass. The three snake-like heads rose high above the ripples of the green sea, watching them with all six yellow eyes, while the long wings and tail sprawled out wide. Even Elladan, who knew what to expect, could not but hiss at the sight. Elrohir drew his sword instead. _At least the creature's appearance was a little more subtle than last time, probably at Aragorn's behest_, Elladan thought wryly. But a twenty-foot monster appearing from thin air could only be so discreet.

Aragorn raced towards the creature, climbing onto the broad back with ease, almost as if it was no different from leaping atop a horse. "I would have your help, my brothers," Aragorn turned around and said, "But only if you are willing. This is the only way I shall reach my destination in time. Will you come? I can tarry no longer."

The two half-elven brothers stood frozen for a moment, but once that petrified moment passed, Elrohir sheathed his sword. He followed Aragorn and climbed atop the creature without a word, though his expression was unreadable.

"Be careful, and return as swiftly as you may," Elladan said, but did not follow, "I shall go to Halbarad and help him reassure the others and calm the horses."

Aragorn nodded and did not waste any more time with gratitude. He patted Trishula's powerful neck, and with one word of command, the creature took the air, a glittering streak under the sunlight. They flew straight southwest, across the plain of Lebennin, then across the mouth of Gilrain and open water north of Tolfalas, then finally over the beaches of Belfalas. Trishula flew at such dazzling speed that thirty leagues swept past underneath in less than half an hour. Once they were flying over water, the sunlight fell away to dark, broiling storm clouds, and wind howled beside them. Trishula dipped lower in his flight, wings flapping only a few feet above the water and almost skimming over the waves.

"Is it not difficult to fly so low?" Aragorn asked quietly, "Why not rise higher where the wind might give you more lift? You need not to be concerned for us; it is not so cold."

The monster let loose a small rumble of a laugh and replied, "And you need no to worry for me, master, I am no common bird, and I care not for a lift of wind under my wings. In either case, we are almost there. Do you not hear how _Cia Pactillu _screams? And the duel rages. Brace yourselves!"

The dark clouds now piled on so thick it seemed like the middle of the night. As they approached the shore of Belfalas, they suddenly saw the sky light up. It was not the clouds dispersing to reveal the afternoon sun; dark blue light traced out the outlines of a monstrous crocodile in the sky, glowing like an evil eye. Trishula reared all three of its heads, icy maw cracked open, roaring like a charging war stallion even as he landed on a desolate beach, right underneath the glowing sign of the crocodile in the sky. Aragorn and Elrohir leapt off the creature's back and raced forward. They saw a large ring of eerie blue flame, and inside that ring of fire were half a dozen enormous creatures too fantastic to be flesh and blood yet unmistakably real. There were also a man and a woman standing inside the ring, facing each other.

Elladan squinted his eyes and murmured, "I see a red-haired woman; she is so very young, more a girl than a woman, and that man, he looks like… It is him!" The half-elven drew a sharp breath, "It is Boromir, son of Denethor! You said he fell many days ago, brother!"

"He did," Replied Aragorn grimly. Then he raised his voice and called, "Greetings, Boromir, son of Denethor! Many days have passed since we spoke words of parting, but now you have returned unlooked for, beyond the wildest hopes and joy! Will you not greet me, Boromir?"

But those words did not seem to reach Boromir, for he stood there without even stirring, staring resolutely ahead at the red-haired woman. The woman turned to Aragorn's direction instead, looking at the new comers, amber eyes full of concern. Seeing her eyes Aragorn had to hold his right arm once more, for pain suddenly assailed him, and his arm was glowing again, blood-red light forming the shape of a claw. The redhead's eyes widened in shock, and she seemed as if she wanted to say something. She never did get the chance, for a fish like creature standing in front of Boromir suddenly moved, surging forward with the ferocious energy of a war mumakil. The attack shred the woman's own creature to pieces and sent her flying backward. Her back collided with the ring of blue flame, and then as if hitting something solid, there was a crashing sound, and she fell to the ground screaming in pain.

And then Boromir _laughed._

"You are no match for me, clueless whelp," Boromir said, "I told you that you should not try to hinder me; all you will achieve is to become the first meal for the great Immortal. Now, I am not quite finished, even if you are; _Moulinglacia_, slaughter that overgrown cat there."

Those sinister words chilled Aragorn to the bone. He stood watching, frozen in shock, as the white gold creature crashed into a lion with flowery mane. This time the red-haired woman did not scream; her eyes were open but blank, and her sleeve was turning red with blood. Someone laughed once more, but it was not Boromir. The monstrous blue and black crocodile creature crouching before Boromir now raised his head and _laughed_, if indeed a crocodile could laugh.

Boromir said to the crocodile, "Oh great Immortal, she is yours to feast upon…"

"Boromir!" Aragorn cried out, now wary and angered. Anduril leapt to his hand, a white flaming brand in the darkness. "Trishula, can you stop them?"

Trishula's reply was a ferocious roar. He raised all three of his heads and opened wide his jaws. Streams of icy light charged towards Boromir, but the icy light barely stirred the wall of blue flame, much less reaching Boromir.

"My attack will not reach them, locked in the ceremonial duel as they are," Trishula said in a low rumble, "How dare he! If she only had her _Black Rose Dragon_ with her, he would have been defeated long ago!"

Though the attack stopped at the wall of fire, Boromir finally seemed to notice the presence of others. He turned slowly, and upon seeing Aragorn his eyes lit up, but his face became paler.

"Boromir!" Aragorn called, "Why do you linger here while Minas Tirith burns? Your father seeks desperately your return, and your people await your sword. Why do you tarry elsewhere serving the unknown powers of this monstrosity? You would kill the defenseless young woman before you?"

"She is far from defenseless!" Boromir said contemptuously. He breathed, and continued with more hesitation, "I look ever northward to Minas Tirith, yet what can my sword do alone? I… The great Immortal offered me life, he gave me another chance to amend my wrongs and defend my people. Surely he has power enough to defend the White City, if only I can call on him to emerge fully into this world!"

"And you trust this unknown creature that suddenly emerged before you?" Aragorn rebuked, "What power can offer life beyond death, save the Valar west of the Sundering Sea, and that of the Dark Lord? How can you offer yourself to this power?"

Boromir's eyes darkened and he cried, "Yet you have taken up with the same power, Aragorn! You too have called these creatures to your side." Here he paused, eyes narrowing, before continuing in outrage, "And you… You are just like her! Cursed servant of the Crimson Dragon…I shall destroy… No, no, I cannot… the Valar help me!"

Boromir clenched his head in pain, but the crocodile crouching before him moved instead, emerging from the ring of fire and charging at Aragorn. An elven arrow whistled into the air, flying straight at the crocodile creature's eye, but before the arrow could hit it vanished in a flash of blue fire, and the crocodile dove forward even faster. Trishula also surged forward, and the two enormous monstrosities collided, a storm of black and silver broiling. The struggle was intense but brief; a moment later the crocodile slithered back into the ring of blue fire, screaming with rage as he retreated.

"Boromir!" Aragorn cried, drawing himself to his full height. Now he stood tall and imposing, like the statues of the kings of old, and Anduril in his hand shone like open flame. A light seemed to ignite him from within, and the shadows shrank from him as if in fear.

"Boromir, are you ready to surrender yourself to this dark power, are you ready to repeat your mistake?" Aragorn said in a terrible voice, "I am Aragorn son of Arathron, heir of Isildur son of Elendil, the last descendent of the kings of Numenor. Am I to be your enemy, Boromir son of Denethor? Where does your allegiance truly lie? Choose carefully!"

Boromir blinked slowly, and then he dropped to one knee. "My captain, my king!" So cried the steward's heir with distress, "My allegiance is ever to Gondor, and to you, sire. Forgive me; I erred once more, drunk on the promise of power enough to save my people."

"I am glad, Boromir. Come, come to me," Aragorn's voice became gentle once more, "Let the beast slumber, and step away from the fire. We shall go to Minas Tirith together. I lead the army of the dead, Boromir, those who once swore fealty to the West. That power within our own right is enough to defend the White City; be not tempted by powers we neither understand nor truly possess."

Aragorn's voice was soft yet resolute. It seemed that he was not speaking to Boromir alone, but spoke to his own dilemma also. Trishula grumbled with agitation beside him, as if sensing his thought, and the blue-black crocodile creature screamed with indignation.

Boromir's face paled, and his eyes glittered with desperation. He murmured, "I, I cannot come to you, my lord. Foolishly I started this ceremony laden with dark sorcery, and I cannot walk away now. But you speak true, I should not be tempted by powers I neither understand nor able to control, and I cannot endanger this young lady. I…" He drew a deep breath and raised his hand slowly, "Let this end with me here. I surren…"

"No! Don't, don't surrender!"

The red-haired woman shouted out. She had scrambled up sometime during Aragorn and Bormir's exchange, and now she stood there watching them intently, eyes so bright like two pools of molten gold. "Don't surrender," She said in a quieter voice, "This is a dark game, and the defeated will die."

The woman spoke in a strange foreign tongue, but somehow both Aragorn and Boromir understood her perfectly. Boromir laughed and said, voice choke full of bitterness, "Better me than you, my lady, for I am already dead and passed. A young and innocent shall not die in my place."

Boromir's opponent shook her head once more. "I am glad your friend brought you to your senses," She said softly, "But you cannot hold _Cia Pactillu _back indefinitely, not here, in the midst of a duel. If you surrender, _Cia Pactillu_ will only take over your soul and body once more; I have seen it happen before. You must not anger the Earthbound Immortal, lest you lose all control."

Boromir looked at her skeptically, but asked nonetheless, "What must I do then?"

"Continue the duel as usual," Replied the strange woman, "See how impatient _Cia Pactillu_ is! He wishes to attack, so do not bother stopping him. But attack me directly instead, and leave my _Gigaplant_, I will have need of him when it is my move. Once this attack clears, I should control the duel from there on, and I will find a way to end it without anyone dying, somehow. I know what I am doing; trust me on this!"

"I can in no good conscious attack you again! I am a dead man; let no living creature suffer any risk for my sake!"

The red-haired woman stood straighter. "Do not underestimate my power!" She said, eyes aflame, "One more attack will hurt, but it will hardly be risky. As I told you, I know what I am doing and I can control it from this moment. I can't be sure of anything in this strange place, but at least, I _can_ make sure that no one dies right now!"

Boromir was still hesitating, but _Cia Pactillu_ had not the patience to wait forever. With one deafening scream the crocodile rushed forward, trying to devour the last creature standing between him and the red-haired girl.

"No!" Boromir cried, "Do not… Attack directly! _Cia Pactillu_, attack her directly!"

So the crocodile swept past the ugly plant creature and bulldozed into the red-haired woman. She flew backward, again crashed against the wall of fire, and then fell to the ground like a broken rag doll. For a few tense moments she lay there, motionless and as if near death, but eventually she stirred and pushed herself up once more. Calmly she wiped her hands clean of blood and reached for the contraption strapped to her left wrist.

"It is my turn, and trust me, no one has to die right now," She said with relief and determination alike, eyes locked on what seemed like two pieces of paper in her hand, "Activate spell, _Mark of the Rose_, banish plant-type _Hedge Guard_ from grave as cost to take control of your _Elemental Lord Moulinglacia_."

No one really understood her words, not even Boromir standing within the same ring of fire. They only saw the white-gold sea monster that was right in front of Boromir suddenly standing tall, then as if pulled by some invisible strings, the creature moved towards the girl and knelt in front of her. The girl continued, "Activate _Advanced Draw_, tribute _Moulinglacia_ to draw two cards. And since _Moulingalacia_ left the field, you cannot declare attack next turn; such is the price you must pay for the powers of an elemental lord."

The white and gold sea creature disappeared in a flash of light, and the girl added two more slips of paper into her hand from the device strapped to her wrist. Boromir only nodded dumbly. The redhead continued with her strange magic, and they saw a surreally beautiful orange flower blooming before her, and then quickly replaced by little yellow cat-like animal with a ring of flower petals around its head and two green leaves where its front limbs should be. Small the little cat may be, but it bared its teeth and growled at the looming crocodile, fierce and unafraid.

"I can do no more for now," The red-haired woman said to Boromir, "Go on, it is your turn, only that you cannot attack."

To which Boromir replied, "I know not what to do, so I trust you to finish this, my lady."

She nodded, reaching for the contraption on her wrist with a determined look. "Activate _Fragrance Storm_," She called, "destroy plant-type monster _Dandylion_, special summon two fluff tokens and draw."

The little yellow cat disappeared in a storm of bright flower petals, and the wind was suddenly filled with sweet fragrance.

"Since I just drew plant-type _Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis_, draw one more. Activate one more spell, _Trade-In_; discard level 8 _Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis _in hand, draw two more. Alright, here it is." With a triumphant voice she continued, "Send the top card to the grave to special summon _Glow-up Bulb_, and release _Glow-up Bulb_ to tribute summon _Rose Tentacles_. And one final spell for the turn—shadowy field of death and rebirth, bloom for me, _Black Garden_!"

At her command a thousand vines broke through the earth. Black thorny branches lengthened and danced, wove in and out of each other's path; green leaves sprouted from the branches and flowers bloomed, every blossom the size of a child's fist and black as the night, waving and nodding in the breeze that now whispered among the branches. Black this newborn garden was, yet it did not feel dark and repressive, rather its black was that of mystery and of the gestation of new life. Right in front of the girl, an enormous rose plant towered, petals blood red and vines startlingly green. So the red-haired woman stood there, at the heart of the black garden, flanked by her fantastic flower creatures, a veritable fairy queen of her kingdom. She raised her head and smiled at Boromir. Her smile set her pale face in bloom, now she looked radiant and beautiful like a cluster of summer roses, whose fire of life could not be dimmed by any shadow.

"We will both get out of here, trust me," She said confidently, "Now, activate _Gigaplant_'s effect once more."

The same orange flower they saw last time bloomed once more in front of her, and this time, as if answering, a single black rose plant sprang from the soil in front of Boromir. When the orange flower vanished and was replaced by a tall and stately woman clothed in leaves and flowers, another black rose materialized. As the number of creatures surrounding the girl increased, black roses continued to blossom before Boromir.

At last the redhead seemed satisfied, and she said, "Since there are now four plant-type rose tokens on your side of the field, my _Rose_ _Tentacles_ can attack five times. Now then, _Rose Tentacles, _attack the rose token!"

It was now Boromir's turn to be tossed to wind like a helpless sack of grain. When the third attack hit he went down without even much of a groan, and he did not stand up for a long time. Seeing Boromir's prone form Aragorn finally woke from the fascinated horror that took hold of him and stepped forward.

"My lady!" He cried to the red-haired woman, "Have mercy, lady, you have the advantage now; spare his life!"

She whipped around, expression fierce. "What do you think I am trying to do? He was at such advantage the entire time, if there is any possibility of forcing a draw I had to get a few attacks through! Just let me finish this," She turned back and ordered, "_Gigaplant_, attack _Deepsea King Coelacanth_!"

Her plant creature threw itself at the grim-looking fish in front of Boromir, but the fish must have been of greater power, for the plant creature writhed and screeched, before disappearing in a shower of sparks. As her creature vanished in defeat, the woman staggered back a few steps, hugging her arms to her chest in pain, but she somehow managed to stay upright. She took a deep breath, placed two slips of paper on the device strapped to her wrist, and stood up straight.

"Set two more face down cards, and I end my turn." She raised her voice and shouted to Boromir who was still lying motionlessly on the ground, "Please, please get up now. We are almost done here, but I need you to get up and declare your turn! Get up!"

It was another long moment before Boromir clambered up shakily, looking dazed. "What am I doing…"He murmured, "Is it my turn to do something? I suppose, I must…"

"That is enough, thank you," The redhead cut him off, looking incredibly relieved, "Trap activate, _Ivy Shackle_; trap activate, _Fairy Wind_! Destroy all face-up spells and traps, and that would be two with my _Ivy Shackle _and _Black Garden_; we both take 600 damage. That is just enough to force a draw—it is all over, for now."

Even as she said these words the warm breath of spring wind swept past them both. Faintly they saw a pair of eyes blink in the air, and heard the tinkling laughter of someone immaterial, and then the garden of thorny branches and black flowers evaporated like dew in the morning. The ring of blue fire surrounding them dimmed, dimmed, and was gone. Those fantastic creatures that only a moment ago crowded the empty beach now disappeared one by one; the blue-black crocodile was the last to vanish, and he left behind an ear-piercing wail.

"It is over, for now," The red-haired woman repeated once more. She looked relieved, yet at the same time sorrowful. "But how long can you stall an Earthbound Immortal? Eventually I must defeat you. Yet I am alone, all alone here in this strange place."

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, and then she seemed to lose all consciousness and fell backward like a wilting flower.


	5. Hero's Bond

**5. Hero's Bond**

Aki found herself utterly lost. It was dark all around her, with nondescript landscape, shadowy and desolate. Never mind directions, she could barely tell up from down. What was this place? What was she doing here? She didn't know. All she could sense was an overwhelming despair, so potent it felt unnatural. She had no reason to despair, none at all; she had loving parents, a bright career path, and those loyal friends who would fight with her to the end of the world. Yet Aki suddenly realized she could not picture the faces of her parents and her friends clearly. Blurry images swam before her eyes, but she could not hold on to any of them. Suddenly she had a reason to panic, perhaps, even to despair. It seemed grew darker still all around her.

But before the darkness and the despair could swallow her whole, she suddenly saw a spark of light in the distance. Aki spun around, heart racing. The light moved closer and closer, until a tall and stately form could be distinguished in the light. It was a man; in fact, it was the strange signer she just met, but he seemed to be a spirit made of light. He walked towards her and extended a hand, silver eyes shining, voice stern and gentle at once.

"Thank you for everything, my lady," He said, "Now come away from the shadows! Come with me, back to the world of living and light, where a young and noble soul like yours belongs. Come."

So Aki nodded and took his hand. The next thing she saw was sunlight and blue sky, and then the man himself, but now solid and tangible, long eyebrows wrinkled in thought, and steely grey eyes beset with weariness.

"What is going on… I mean…" Aki was still deeply disoriented.

The dark-haired man only passed her a water skin—that's right, a leather pouch that obviously held liquid inside, something completely unheard of save in anthropology museums—and said, "Have some water, my lady."

Aki took the water skin and had a hearty drink; she really was thirsty, especially after all that dueling and yelling. Only after she quenched her thirst did she gather her wits and her manners, so she stood up and bowed deeply. "Thank you, sir, for saving my life." She looked around a little, and seeing nothing but utterly foreign meadows rolling away in all four directions, she asked again with panic, "I need your help, sir. I am terribly lost. Can you tell me what this place is? And also, how do I reach Neo Domino from here?"

"Neo Domino?" That name was obviously entirely foreign to the dark-haired signer, and he replied, "I have never heard of such place. This is Lebennin, my lady, in the kingdom of Gondor."

Aki blinked slowly. She had that sinking feeling she just landed herself somewhere too fantastical to be true, but she made one last valiant attempt by asking, "Do you mean Lebanon? Are we very far from the capital city Beirut?"

"Beirut? No, there is no such city; at least I have never heard of such a place in all my travels. Lebennin is a southern fiefdom of Gondor; the seat of Gondor is Minas Tirith, which is some fifty leagues northeast of here."

Aki took a deep breath, trying her very best to not break down in tears. She thought perhaps she should ask more questions, get a clearer picture of this strange, utterly foreign world around her, but she could not speak, she could only stare at the man in front of her like some terrified fledgling bird.

"Are you lost, my lady?" The dark-haired signer asked gently.

Aki breathed once more, and then opened her mouth to force out the words. "I think, I think I am terribly lost," She spoke with difficulty, "I have never heard of Gondor that you spoke of, or Lebinnin, or Minas Tirith. I am from Neo Domino, which is a territory of Japan. Have you heard of Japan? Or the continent of Asia? I suppose you won't have heard of America either… By the way, exactly what _language_ are you speaking?"

The dark-haired signer let loose a small dry laugh, before replying, "I am speaking _Soval Pharë_, the Common Speech of the West, which, I suppose, should be utterly foreign to you, my lady, as your words are to me. Yet somehow we understand each other, and I think the tongue hardly matters, for instance—" Here he paused a little, and then his voice slurred into another language that sounded very different from before, losing the strongly accented rhythm and gaining a song-like legato, but the meaning behind his words remained crystal clear, "_Do you not understand me now, though I speak the tongue of the immortal Firstborn? Aye, the language matters not. Some strange power connects us, and I deem you know more of it than I do, my lady."_

"The Crimson Dragon…" Aki glanced towards the man's right arm but only saw the rough leather of his gauntlet, "And that dark signer! You know him, don't you, that blond warrior whom I dueled against? Where is he now? Is he quite alright?"

"Boromir is resting with the rest of my men. They treat him courteously, yet they are wary, for who would not fear one who rose from the dead? Tell me, my lady, what power brought him back? What is his lot now? He himself knows very little of the terrifying powers that now surround him."

"It is a long story, very long," Aki sighed, "If you want all the answers, we should probably sit down."

The man looked at her ponderingly for a moment, before saying, "I need all the answers, yet I fear I cannot tarry any longer; an urgent task calls me. I would ask you to come with me, if you are willing. It is not an easy call for me to make…"

"Please let me go with you! I… Please," Aki cut in hurriedly within ample panic, "I am so lost here I can't even tell east from west! What would I do on my own? All I can do is trek this endless plain, hoping to find some human contact, or die of hunger and thirst in the process!"

"Following my company may not improve your lot," The man cautioned her, "We ride to war, my lady. The nearest city is occupied by enemy forces, and my goal is to retake the city and seize the enemy's fleet. While we do not go with a fool's hope only, the numbers are not to our advantage. Needless to say, you are in as much danger, if not more, being in our midst than wandering the plains of Lebinnin alone. As much as I need answers from you, I would not have you follow me into battle and bloodshed unknowingly. What say you?"

Aki nodded. "I will go with you. I need your help and your guidance, and of course I must tell you everything about the Crimson Dragon and the dark signers. But as for your war…" She hesitated a moment, and then said in a low voice, "I am sorry, I don't think I can help… I mean, I don't think I should. Wars are such complicated things… I mean I trust you, I think you are a good person, but I can't know the right side from the wrong one, and my power can be such a loose cannon. I really don't think I should help. I am sorry…"

"My lady!" The man in front of her looked rather affronted by her words, "What strange things you say! No woman should be near the front line of battle while men still draw breath, especially one who is only a little more than a child. Think not of the battle, and I swear to you I will do all that is within my power to ensure your safety. Now come, we must leave; you shall ride with me."

There was the brief temptation to protest she was no child, but Aki only bowed and murmured, "Thank you, for everything." Then seeing the man turn she called, "Wait, one more thing! Will you tell me your name, sir?"

"You may call me Strider."

"And my name is Aki," And with that Aki bowed again, "A pleasure to meet you, I mean it. I am most grateful I met you here in this strange place, Strider, and thank you."

Aki had never ridden a horse before, and indeed Strider's black steed whose shoulders stood higher than her head looked quite frightening. But the horse proved to be gentle and calm, and Strider an immensely skilled rider, so while the pace was brisk, soon enough Aki could relax and was no longer holding on to the horse's manes for her dear life. Once the horse settled into a rhythmic canter, Strider prompted her for answer. Aki took a few moments to organize her thoughts, and then decided to begin with the myth of the Crimson Dragon and the fated battle among gods. The story sounded confusing to Aki's own ears, for she too was baffled by many points.

"I don't see why this is happening all over again," She said with frustration, "The Earthbound Immortals have been defeated, it should have ended! They were sealed away five thousand years ago, and they were sealed away once more just a few years ago. In fact, if it weren't for Zero Reverse, if it weren't for such a traumatic accident that so severely weakened the fabric of spacetime in my world, the Earthbound Immortals wouldn't escape to begin with. So what is happening here? Why would the Earthbound Immortals suddenly rise here in your world? There must be a cause, but I don't know this place, and I can't even begin to imagine the reason."

Strider was silent for a long moment, before saying quietly, "So you said _Trishula _is a servant of the Crimson Dragon. Many years ago he came to me and saved me from a certain death on the frozen seashore. I know not why or how he came to me, but perhaps in my desire to live I called on him, who can say. Do you think… do you think it is possible that I awakened _Trishula_, and his nemeses only followed?"

"What? No, it doesn't work like that," Aki said, "The servants of the Crimson Dragon awaken when need calls them, when they sense the rise of the Earthbound Immortals, and then they seek out those marked by the Crimson Dragon. I am not too sure what happened here, but I am sure the presence of Earthbound Immortals here is definitely not your fault. In fact, you are meant to be the champion who defeats them all."

"So how should I defeat these enemies?"

"My friends and I…" Aki took a long pause, and sighed, before saying, "Well, we did it with a card game. When I fought your friend, I used a deck of playing cards; where I come from it really is all just a game enjoyed by young and old alike. But of course it can't be just the game when the Crimson Dragon and the Earthbound Immortals are involved. Perhaps we were given certain power that manifest during the game, make the game more real—at least I had that power since a young age—or perhaps the game is set up to mimic rituals that invoke divine power? To be honest, I really don't know how it all works out. When we were battling the Earthbound Immortals, a loss means death, and a victory means a step closer to sealing all of them away; the details and the mechanics were never clear, and we didn't care all that much. We just wanted to keep our friends and ourselves alive."

"A game, you say?" Strider sounded properly astounded, and perhaps a touch affronted, "You mean when you raised a garden from nothing, when you created dragons and flying flowers out of thin air, and the powers of _Trishula_, all of these are but a game?"

"The game is the medium, I guess," Aki said thoughtfully, "Cards allow me to manifest power more easily and in a more controlled manner, and also let me bring those creatures to life. I suppose it can be done without cards; you did it right? You called on _Trishula_, gave him form and made him physical, even outside the game, and I don't think you have duel monster cards…" Aki's eyes widened, and she turned back to look at the man known as Strider.

"_Trishula _says a truly powerful bond does not need the trapping of an avatar, cards or otherwise," Strider replied drily, sounding exasperated and weary beyond care, "He also says you should try bonding with your dragon more, so that you are not so dependent on your cards in future wars."

"_Trishula says_?!" Aki looked around wildly, then turned back to Strider.

"Oh… oh!" She exclaimed, "So you are like Luna; you can see the spirits of duel monsters and communicate with them, maybe even enter their own world. That is a rare gift indeed. And you are also a psychic duelist and you can bring duel monsters to life, give them physical forms. That is… I have never met anyone who is so powerful. "

"I am not sure I like the sound of that," Strider murmured grimly.

They fell silent once more, and this time no one spoke for a long while, and the only sound puncturing the ever deepening darkness was the clips of horses' hooves. Just when Aki thought Strider probably didn't want to talk about it anymore, she suddenly heard him say, "Will you show me?"

"Show you?"

"Yes, show me your cards, and your sorceries," Strider said quietly, "Show me what they are like when manifested. There is no need to call on a dragon, but surely there is something small and inconspicuous enough that you can show me."

Aki nodded, and pulled out a random card from her pocket. It was the spell _Supremacy Berry_, a card she picked up recently mostly because of its beautiful artwork. "This will work," She said, lifting the card in front of Strider for him to see, "Can you understand the card text?"

Strider shook his head, so Aki explained, "In a duel this card gives you more life points when you are losing; gaining life points is the game's version of healing. I would imagine if it manifests in reality it would do something similar."

With that she closed her eyes and concentrated on the power of the card. The slip of green cardboard glowed faintly gold between her fingers, then beams of white light shot forth from the card, and they heard the fluttering of small wings and the gentle coos of a bird. A pure white dove materialized in front of them, glimmering with a faint pearly light; a small golden helmet adorned the bird's head, and a sprig of green branch was in its beak. The bird flew around them a few times, before landing on Aki's arm and dropping the sprig of plant into her palm.

Aki offered the plant to Strider, "Here, you should eat this."

"Eat this?"

"If you don't mind me saying so, you look terrible, like you haven't slept for days," Aki said softly, "This should definitely make you feel better."

Strider took the small sprig and eyed the green leaves and red berries, saying, "I am a healer myself, lady, and I am well versed in herb lore. This does not like look any healing herb that I know of."

Aki rebutted with laugh, "I am a doctor in training too, Strider. But that's beside the point. It's not science, it's… magic, I suppose. I just conjured up this bird and this plant in its beak from thin air, did I not? Or I pulled it from a world beyond this one, something like that. You cannot judge it based on what you know of this world. I may not know all the inherent laws of how this works, but I do know this is supposed to be good for you."

Strider still looked skeptical, but he nodded nonetheless and ate the few red berries hidden among the leaves, and then put a leaf in his mouth too. He remained quiet for so long that Aki was worried enough to turn back and look at him once more.

"Well?" She asked a little nervously, "Did it help? Or was I completely wrong?"

"It did help, my lady," He said, "The berries were very refreshing, and I no longer feel like, as you put it, that I haven't slept in days." With that he gave her a small smile that still looked grim, but it must be a rare moment of lightheartedness for him.

Aki breathed a small sigh of relief and murmured, "Good, that's great. I am glad to know I can at least give you this kind of small help. And you can call me Aki, you know; I call you by your name, right?"

"Indeed," Strider murmured. He seemed to be pondering something, and had this thoughtful look about him. Eventually he reached into a pouch that hung at his belt and pulled out something. "I believe those are yours, Aki."

Aki's eyes widened. Even in the waning light of dusk she could see Strider was holding two card cases in his hand. There they were, her own _Black Rose Dragon_ and _Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier_, colorful forms so vivid and powerful they seemed ready to break the confine of the white cardboard. Aki took the case that held her _Black Rose Dragon_ and hugged it close to her chest. "Thank you _so _very much," She murmured with great feeling, "You have no idea how important _Black Rose_ is to me. But I can't take _Trishula_; he is yours."

Strider shook his head slowly, and he said, "Should I have need of _Trishula_, I can call on him without this."

"But don't you want an avatar of your dragon with you? A card like this is a powerful symbol; even if you can manifest _Trishula_ without a card, in an actual duel you probably still want something, and it reminds you how to summon _Trishula_ properly in a duel to unleash all of his power. _Trishula_'s effect is perhaps _the_ most deadly power in the realm of duel monsters." Aki was baffled by how easy it was for Strider to give up the card, almost as if he wanted nothing to do it.

Strider did not speak for a long while, deep in thought. Eventually he said with a small sigh, "The text on the card is all nonsense for me. I cannot decipher their meanings, just as I cannot decipher the full depth of _Trishula_'s power. I am afraid to invoke such great power that I understand not, lest more harm comes of it than good. But I trust you know how to manage this."

Aki fell silent. Suddenly the irony of the situation struck her to her core. Before this crazy adventure started, she left dueling behind, took a leave from her medical practicum, and holed away in her apartment, all because she was terrified. She was afraid of her own power, afraid of her ability to decide life and death with a mere thought. Even if all she wanted was to help, she had confessed to Yusei, what if she _screwed up_? What if she made a mistake? Or what if she imposed her own desires on others? No one should have that kind of power.

Yet when she found herself stranded in this strange world, when she found herself facing Earthbound Immortals once more, that fear shrank back in her mind. She didn't _care_ about the potential corruptibility of her power anymore—how could she care, when the threat of eternal darkness was staring down at her? And in a way the presence of Earthbound Immortals made her feel _justified_. Powers were given to her for this express purpose.

But Strider was a little different. She still didn't know exactly who this Strider was, what war he was fighting, and what role he played in his day to day life, but one thing she knew, Strider was no duelist.

As powerful as the Black Rose Witch was, she was not the _only_ psychic duelist, and as fantastic as the _Black Rose Dragon_ may look, people have seen stranger and even more frightening creatures loom large in a duel. With duel monsters as a backdrop, the power to call forth a breathing, snarling dragon would no doubt seem a lot less exotic and terrifying than it should be, and even then she was afraid of this power once the context of battle among gods was removed. How would it all seem to someone who has never seen a duel monster card in all his life? Suddenly Aki began to appreciate just _how_ hardened this Strider was at his core.

"Actually, Strider," She began, "Don't you think you should learn how to duel? I mean, learn the rules of duel monsters, would you like to?"

Strider raised an eyebrow. "You mean that game you spoke of?"

"Yes, that card game," Aki said, "You said you don't want to invoke a power that you do not understand. I know what you mean; I have similar fears, in fact. But since I found myself stranded here and then dueling your friend, I really did forget about that fear for a while. The Earthbound Immortals are the larger threat here. Our powers are meant to be a weapon against the Earthbound Immortals, so if you are uneasy about using such power elsewhere, at least learn how to use it within a duel as it was meant to be used."

"It is never the power itself, but how it taints the hearts of men," Strider side cryptically in a low voice. He seemed very troubled, but there was something else. Aki got the distinctive feeling that he wasn't just thinking about _Trishula_ and duel monsters.

But when Strider spoke again he said, "Your words contain more wisdom than what is expected of your tender age, Aki. Aye, please tell me all that you can, and I shall listen."


	6. Doppelwarrior

**6. Doppelwarrior**

The Grey Company pressed on without even brief stops, and only camped down for a few hours of much needed respite deep into the night, when it was almost morning again. Though he had not slept for more than a day and a night and barely ate, Aragorn felt strangely refreshed. The young woman Aki's magic more than deserved the name. Yet she herself seemed in sore need of such magic, for by the time they camped down she looked truly miserable, weary and shivering, pale like a ghost. So despite the myriad of pressing tasks, Aragorn felt obliged to take care of her first, offering her food and elven _miruvor_, and a coat and a cloak to keep warm. After she had dozed off under Elrohir's watchful eye, Aragorn finally approached Boromir.

The heir of Gondor's steward sat apart from the rest of the _dunedain_, head bowed and demeanor without any of his usual confidence. Elladan was trying valiantly to speak with Boromir, as if nothing changed and he was the same warrior they had known. Boromir made replies rather stoically, understanding Elladan's kind pity but too proud to accept freely. When he saw Aragorn approach he seemed to shake out of his stupor, and he stood up abruptly, eager and afraid all at once.

"Aragorn, I, I…" He began haltingly, and then went down on one knee, "Forgive me, Aragorn, I know not what came over me. I did not mean, I would never, I would never raise a hand against you, my lord, but I was not myself… Perhaps I am not myself even now, I can be certain of nothing…"

Even by the wane firelight Aragorn could see Boromor's pitch black eyes, just as he could see the torment in those eyes. Instinctively, Aragorn gripped Boromir's arms and tried to raise him up. Boromir's arms were colder than ice, but Aragorn's grip was firm and unwavering. He could not, he _must_ not shrink away, let he lose the one last chance to hold on to Boromir, Aragorn told himself.

"Do not let all this self-blame cloud your eyes over what is truly important," Aragorn said, "I know the man you are, Boromir, I doubt you not. But now it is more important we understand exactly what transpired. Let us sit and have some food, and you shall tell me everything from the moment you… from the moment we parted on the bank of the Anduin." He paused briefly, before adding in a soft voice, "I am glad to see you return, my friend, as are we all. Losing you was a heavy blow to me."

After they were seated and away from prying ears, Boromir began his story.

"I remember the battle on the bank of Anduin, I remember saying my farewell to you, and then… and then I remember hearing a voice. He asked me, 'What is Gondor, this word you so incessantly repeat?' I did not know what was happening then. I thought perhaps the voice was some devilry of the Dark Lord, there to taunt me in my last moment. So I answered in defiance, crying out, 'Gondor is the last great kingdom of Men upon this Earth, the unbroken line of defense and our undying hope, and it will never fall to the likes of you!' But the voice only laughed."

Here Boromir sighed, voice becoming softer and even more uncertain still. "His laughter did not sound malicious to me then, not even unkind. And he said he was not interested in conquering, and in fact he was there to help me… He said my last dying wish was so strong and so noisome that it woke him up, and he was curious to know what could have driven a man so. He wanted to see it. He said… he said he would let me live again; he would give me power to do what I desired so much to do. And then upon hearing those words, suddenly I could see again. I saw Minas Tirith—oh how glorious the White City looked to me at that moment! The white bastion gleaming in the sun like the blade of a finest elven sword, and people milling about in all seven circles; I could hear them laugh. And my father, my brother…"

Boromir's voice wavered and died. He breathed deeply and drew a hand across his face, trying to still his racing heart and broiling blood. A moment later he spoke again with weariness, "In all honesty I did not ponder it over much. The sight before my eyes shook me so, and I cried, 'I would do anything to stand once more and protect Gondor with my own two hands! I have failed and a chance to right my wrongs would be the greatest gift.' After I said those words I suppose I woke properly, for I found myself submerged in water and nearly drowning. When I regained my wits I began to swim and quickly reached shore. I had been there on the beach until you found me."

"Indeed, Boromir?" Asked Aragorn with furrowed brow, "It is the thirteenth of March; it has been more than a fortnight since the bank of Anduin."

Boromir paled once, and he said, "I thought perhaps more time had passed than I imagined, but a fortnight! I… I know not what to say. I stayed there on the beach to converse with the voice that woke me. He emerged from the sea in the form of a great crocodile, though he looked immaterial, as if a wraith of some kind. You saw him, Aragorn. He said if I truly wanted to save my city and my people, then one sword alone will achieve little. But I had more potentials than that, he said, he would teach me new arts, power enough to save everything I cared for. He said I could call on powerful creatures to aid me, and if my heart was true enough, I could bring even use his own power."

Here Aragorn's sighed almost inaudibly and said wrily, "Did you he also teach you a game?"

Boromir blinked, obviously bewildered, "A game?"

"It matters not," Aragorn murmured with a shake of his head, "So the crocodile gave you the power to call on creatures to fight for you? What did he teach you?"

"He told me to make these." From his inner coat pocket Boromir drew out a handful of wooden figurines. They were figures of frogs, fishes, and other impossibly strange sea creatures, all hastily made, rough and even ugly to the eyes. Boromir continued, "With these, and the right words of command, creatures would appear before me. And he told me to perform an ancient rite so that he himself can emerge and battle at my side. So I did as I was told, until that strange young woman appeared and challenged me. She said I was trying to resurrect an evil that will destroy everything. I thought her a fool, I… I was too far lost then. And you know the rest, Aragorn. Ai, how weak the blood of Man, how weak the blood in _my_ veins!" Boromir's voice broke once more and he wailed, "I erred once more, fell for the same temptation. Is this to be my punishment then? Even in death I can find no peace and honor, only to return like some twisted wraith, with evil trailing my every step!"

Aragorn did not speak for a moment, only scrutinized the figurines in Boromir's hand. When he did speak again he seemed to ignore Boromir's lament entirely, only pointing to a particular figurine and asking, "This particular figure does not seem to be made by the same hand as the rest. Where did it come from?" The one he pointed out was a figurine of a wizard and a dog-like creature. It was finely carven from basswood, the workmanship untrained but still matriculate, and it was even painted so he could see the wizard wore a deep blue hooded cloak over white robe adorned with many gold ornaments, and the dog had a yellow-blue tail.

Aragorn could see them, the blue-cloaked wizard and the dog-like creature; their ghostly forms suddenly appeared in the midst of Boromir's narration, standing there and faintly glowing. Aragorn had to close his eyes briefly when _Trishula_ appeared too, enormous form hovering mid-air. "_Prior_, the powerful priest of the ice, and _Defender_," _Trishula_ said, "They were once my allies, and perhaps they are here to renew the vows of allegiance."

As if answering _Trishula_'s words, the blue-cloaked priest bowed deeply, while the dog creature nodded its yellow head with child-like eagerness and glee.

"This specific figurine was a keepsake from my little brother," Boromir answered Aragorn's question, seemingly oblivious to the ghostly forms of fantastical creatures around him, "He made it when we were both children. Faramir was only six or seven then, with an overrun imagination. There was a time that he insisted he saw the Blue Wizard accompanied by a dog visiting him every day, and to prove his point he made this figurine and gifted it to me. I keep it with me always."

"What would you brother think," Aragorn asked cryptically, "If you were to make his childhood fantasies flesh and blood?"

Boromir blinked again. "I beg your pardon?"

"Can you not?" Aragorn gave Boromir a pointed look, "You said the crocodile taught you how to call on real creatures with these figurines."

Boromir stuttered in reply, "I… I do not think I can. I remember little of how I did it then, when I was facing that young woman, and I was performing a rite of some kind. And I suppose I should not dabble in such dark arts again. Ai, what would Faramir think! He has always been the one with a clearer head. Surely he would be disappointed by my failure."

Aragorn put a hand on Boromir's arm. "No Boromir, you did not fail," He said, "How can any mortal Man refuse another chance at life and another chance to serve good, especially when it seemed there are no conditions attached? The Ring's power to corrupt and to manipulate we know better, but this… this is something wholly new, something never heard of in all the tomes of lore. Such desperate times we live in, how can we do ought but hope this new power is a true light in the darkness? I am no different from you Boromir, just as you said then on that beach."

"No Aragorn, I do not mean…"

But Aragorn broke him off with a gesture and a few murmured words, and then to Boromir's horror, a dog-like creature suddenly emerged from nothingness. It looked exactly as the figurine his little brother made, lean and handsome, with large pointy ears, and wearing blue, spiked ornaments on its head and tail. The little dog creature leapt at Aragorn gleefully, bobbing up and down and barking as if it were no more than a real hound ready to go on a chase.

Boromir stared at the scene dumbfounded. Aragorn sighed and gestured once more, sending the dog creature back to the nothingness from whence it came. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "My lot is not so different from yours, Boromir. Long ago when I was a young man, things went ill on one of my many journeys, and I found myself stranded in a blizzard, alone and dying of the cold. A creature much like your crocodile came to me, offered me life and protection, vowed to be my servant. And how could I refuse?"

Somewhere behind him _Trishula_ roared indignantly. "I am nothing like _Cia Pactillu_!"

But Aragorn ignored the dragon and went on, "I know not if I rose from the dead, perhaps I did, and considering the circumstances I would not be surprised. For many long years I tried to forget this strange encounter, until now, when visions of Minas Tirith burning haunt me every waking moment. In a moment of vainglorious desperation I thought…" He paused and shook his head here, before beginning anew, voice full of earnestness, "Let us put our mistakes behind us, and turn away from those powers we know not. You said one sword alone will achieve nothing, so then let us join our swords, Boromir. We will go to Minas Tirith, and we will defend the White City on our own terms, with powers that we understand and rightfully possess. Take some rest now, Boromir. We will ride out soon; I hope to be at Pelargir in the early morn."

After that long, taxing conversation with Boromir, Aragorn felt strangely light of heart. He had made an important decision, and he was set on putting the whole fantasy behind him. He snapped up a couple hours of rest, before getting up to quickly discuss battle plans to retake Pelargir with the elven twins and Halbarad. It was two or three hours before sunrise yet, but already the Grey Company was making ready to leave. While the company prepared for departure Aki had woken up. She stood up with an utterly confused look on her face, hugging the borrowed cloak close to her body and shaking in the night wind.

It was Boromir who first noticed her standing there like a lost lamb. After a moment of hesitation, he approached and bowed deeply before the young woman. "Well met, my lady, and my sincerest thanks and deepest apologies," Boromir said, "I am truly sorry for the way I treated you when first we met. I was not myself then. Thank you for ending the terrible rite and sparing my life."

The young woman blinked a few times, before saying hesitantly, "That's quite alright, you don't need to thank me. And uh, you can call me Aki if you want. Though, another thing is, I… I don't know quite how to say this, but it might not be over, this whole business…" She paused, and a moment later said with palatable misery, "I think that is why I am sent here, to defeat, well, you. So you shouldn't thank me, not at all."

Boromir stared the young woman, uncomprehending but feeling apprehensive all the same. A throbbing pain suddenly shot up his arm, and a strange rage was rising slowly in the pit of his stomach. Before Boromir could react, Aragorn suddenly stepped before the two. "Boromir, the company is ready, let us away," And he turned towards Aki, "And if you are willing, my lady, you shall ride with me again."

As the new sun painted the western horizon gold, they saw signs of the enemy over the wide plains. Though the Grey Company numbered few, mighty were their war steeds and mightier still those season dunedain warriors; whatever small companies of enemies they chanced upon fled before them towards the great river. When the port of Pelargir was within sight, Aragorn pulled his steed to a stop.

He said to Aki, "Pelargir lies before us, my lady, and we ride to battle. I must leave you here for now; but if—when the battle is done, I shall send a rider to fetch you. Loath as I am to leave you alone, there is no alternative. You come to us at an hour fraught with danger."

Aki slipped off the horse and nodded, saying, "I can see the city from here, so it will be fine. Thank you for all your help, though there is only one more thing…" She paused, a moment's consideration later she said frankly, "I guess your friend, the one I dueled against, he is riding into battle with you? I know he is your friend, but… _Cia Pactillu_ is still_ here_. Please, do be careful. If you need me, I will come."

Aragorn gave her a sharp look, but all he said was, "We must all act as we see fit." With that he wheeled his steed around and rode towards the Great River and the port of Pelargir in the distance.

The battle was hard but swift. When Aragorn called upon the Army of the Dead, they swept over the black fleet like raging wind sweeping up autumn leaves; and all the mariners were filled with a madness of terror and leaped overboard, save the slaves chained to the oars. The Grey Company rode behind, chasing their foes like hunters scattering startled birds. As the Dunedain began boarding the black fleet, Aragorn saw Boromir's horse pulling to a stop. The steward's son was clenching his arm as if in pain.

"Boromir?" Aragorn slowed his own steed, turning with concern, "Are you well? Is your arm injured?"

Boromir slowly released his arm as if to show he was unhurt, but all Aragorn saw was the evil blue glow that lit up his left arm. "It seems like waste," Boromir turned to Aragorn, saying, "To let our enemies escape unscathed so, does it not?"

"Boromir, take a hold of yourself!" Aragorn hissed.

"I only wish their maddened spirits would do a little more than disintegrating in the water," Boromir said, "It does not take so much for the great Immortal to rise once more…"

"Boromir!" Aragorn wheeled his horse around and reached for Boromir's arm, but he had to withdraw his hand as soon as his fingers brushed Boromir's sleeve. The barely-there touch sent a jolt through him strong enough to nearly throw him off his horse. A wave of pure malice washed over him, and his vision darkened for a brief second. And then he saw a blood-red glow and realized it came from his own arm.

"Will you try to stop me?" Boromir said with a strange look on his face, "I am merely trying to dispose of my enemies, _our_ enemies, Aragorn, why would you oppose me? Or are we fated to oppose each other, servant of the Crimson Dragon?"

"I serve no one, and you, Boromir son of Denethor, need not bow down to the will of this unnamed evil! Awake, Boromir, awake!"

"I am awake, and I am merely trying to drive away the enemies!"

The sky darkened, clouds piled on thick, and a furious wind began whistling about them. Overhead in the thick clouds there was an eerie blue glow.

"No Boromir," Aragorn cried, "Do not surrender, fight it!"

Boromir's black eyes looked back at him bleakly. "I will fight you indeed," The steward's heir said, "Call out that scrawny dragon of yours! This is a long-awaited battle."

_Trishula_'s roar thundered somewhere behind him, but Aragorn ignored the dragon resolutely. He fixed his attention on Boromir and raised his sword. Anduril, the Flame of the West, shone bright in his hand, like a white brand piercing the oppressive darkness. Ghostly flames rose up from the ground, first only a few lonely blossoms of blue fire, then slowly joining together forming a large circle. Boromir lifted his sword as well. He stared at his liege lord, and finally he said with difficulty, "Aragorn, I…" He could speak no more, only lifted his sword to his own neck.

Aragorn started.

Before he could react a sudden roar sounded from behind him. He heard a woman's voice shout, "_Ivy Shackle_, bind him!" and then green vines broke the earth, shooting forth and wrapping themselves around Boromir as if a spider entrapping its prey. Boromir became still, too still with not even an instinctive twitch. On second look Aragorn saw that the steward's heir and his horse had turned into _wood_, even with _living _branches and leaves sprouting all over him. The blue flames died down, and the sky seemed to lighten. Aragorn only felt cold to the core, and terror quickly condensed into wearied exasperation. Is there ought she could _not_ do? Just how far does this strange sorcery extend?

And then Aki appeared, sitting atop an enormous lion with flower petals for its mane. Instinctively Aragorn wheeled around, sword ready. The lion roared at him, while Aki shrank back a little like a startled bird. "No, I don't mean to hurt your guys!" She explained hurriedly, "I saw the blue fire, and my mark burned, so I thought you guys were about to start a duel, which is why I came. Even if you two want to settle it…You shouldn't duel here, not here, not now, not with so many people around! So I had to stop him. And _Ivy Shackle _only works during my turn; it's temporary. Your friend will return to normal—see?"

And Boromir suddenly moved again, pulling at his horse with a mad force. He seemed disoriented and even frightened but otherwise unharmed.

"What, what have I done?" Boromir cried out in distress, and his hand was shaking, threatening to lose hold of his sword.

"Calm yourself!" Aragorn said sternly, "Look northward, Boromir, Minas Tirith yet stands and calls for her son! We must bring the fleet to the White City in time, and there is much work to do. Come, forget those thoughts of beings and powers so wholly unconnected to us! Our battle is here."

Boromir looked back to his liege, still hesitant, "I know not if I can still be my own master. I do not want to be a danger to you, Aragorn, or to our city and our people."

Aragorn spared a look towards the river—the Army of the Dead still hovered above the water like a pall of mist, and maddened screams and pleads of mercy mingled above the din of the weapons, the battle was not yet done. So he turned back and said to Boromir, "The battle rages still; I must go to them. Perhaps it is as well you do not ride forth. Stay back awhile, take care of lady Aki for me; once the battle is done and the fleet on its way to Minas Tirith we will speak more."

Boromir and Aki watched in silence as Aragorn's steed flew towards the river and then disappear from open view. The furious cries and screams from the river seemed to dissipate, and the ships were rearranging themselves under a different command.

"The battle is going well," Boromir murmured, "Soon the enemy's mighty fleet will be ours, and it will bear our greatest defense to Minas Tirith. The White City will not fall, just as Aragorn promised me." He fell silent for a long while, before speaking again in a bitter voice, "Yet I am only a hindrance to this last great muster. You should have finished me then, my lady, and return me to the sea."

Aki did not speak for a long time, but eventually she sighed and said, "Maybe, maybe I should have finished the duel. I didn't want to see you die, but there is no other way; at least I don't see it. It would come to that in the end anyway. I am _sorry_, I can't help you. I… I suppose _someone_ has to take on this task, but sometimes I really wish it doesn't have to be me."


	7. Painful Choice

**7. Painful Choice**

_I am not cut out for this_, Aki thought miserably. She sat at the bow of the great flagship, holding the rail and watching the waves below as they sailed. The sky was almost completely dark now, and there was little she could see really, but the darkness helped her to think, or more properly, it helped her to wallow in the misery of her impossible tasks.

Task number one: seal away the _Earthbound Immortal Cia Pactillu_ and protect the people here from its malice, and to do that she must defeat the dark signer. This task was not difficult in itself, for this man named Boromir would be no match for her in a duel, despite the fearsome powers of _Cia Pactillu._ But she didn't want to see him die, and she certainly didn't want to be the _executioner_. In her own world, after the King of the Netherworld was defeated, the dark signers all returned to life miraculously save one, but could she really believe in another miracle? Sealing away _Cia Pactillu _means killing Boromir, with a very flimsy clause of "perhaps he will return" attached. It was not that she cared for him deeply—she didn't. But Boromir being a stranger made the whole thing even more difficult, because she felt she had no right to decide for an utter stranger whether the ultimate sacrifice was worth it. If it were someone she knew well and loved, if it were _Yusei_, perhaps she would just get on with it, knowing that would be exactly what Yusei wanted, and accept the eternal heartache as a price. The situation now might now be so painful now, but it certainly wasn't any easier.

Task number two: remain neutral and escape unscathed from this war that now rages on around her. That would have been easy enough, except she was deeply indebted to Strider and still dependent on him and his company. Strider was a _signer_. They were supposed to be allies and friends, decreed by fate; and Strider acted every part the ally he should have been too, offering all the help he could despite his own dire situation. It was not for nothing that she nearly mistook him for Yusei when he first appeared. Staying completely aloof of the conflict almost seemed heartless. Aki knew she would not be able to stand aside and watch Strider die in battle if it comes down to it.

Task number three: after succeeding the previous two tasks, try to find home somehow. This particular task seemed so impossible and far off yet, it was pointless to consider it. So Aki turned her thoughts away and forced herself to not think of her home and her friends; it was a futile heartache in either case.

Sometime during her furious thinking Strider appeared, silent and shrouded in the darkness of his cloak like some sprite of the night. He sat down on the deck as well, just a few paces from her, and lit up a pipe. Seeing her surprised look he gestured and said, "I hope you do not mind the smell of pipe-weed, some find it bitter, but out here on the deck it should dissipate fast enough."

"Oh I am fine. But you do know this stuff is terrible for you, right? Even if this is the age before chemical-drenched commercial tobacco, you are still breathing in nicotine and burning plant matter_. _These things are carcinogenic and they will destroy your lungs eventually, and your air passages before that, " Aki said in a hurry, and then seeing Strider's amused look she blushed, but still added defiantly, "Sorry for the rant, but I am a student of medicine. I know what I am talking about, and I care about you enough to say this."

Strider inclined his head and replied graciously, "And I thank you for your concern, my lady, but you must allow a weary soldier someway to relax and to think." A moment of pause later, and with more seriousness, "I cannot see very far ahead, for the way is dark. I count every battle as I near it, and even with every contingency it can very well be my last battle. How can I worry of pipe-weed?"

Aki nearly cried out "I won't let you die!", but held back the words in the end. Instead she asked tentatively, "I thought the battle at the port went well? You have this fleet now."

Strider shook his head slowly and said, "If I cannot bring this fleet and all the men it carries to Minas Tirith before the day wanes tomorrow, all will be for nothing. We are against the currents here, and no wind yet moves the sails. If wind does not come within the hour, all my hopes will fail utterly."

Aki opened her mouth, and then closed it. _Task Number Two_, she reminded herself, and breathed deeply, not quite trusting herself to speak. It was too dark to see anything now, not even her own hand if she held it in front of her. Occasionally Strider's pipe would light up, casting a momentary yellow glow upon his stern and weary face. The quiet hum of the river water below sounded strangely eerie. They sat in awkward silence for a long while, when suddenly the sails above began rustling noisily.

"South wind!" Aki exclaimed happily, "Look, Strider, the south wind is blowing. It seems you will reach your destination in time after all!"

Strider leapt to his feet. His expression cannot be seen, but his voice sounded very grave, "This wind, it is too good to be true. It seems... and _Trishula_…"

He did not quite finish, for someone else emerged onto the deck and raced towards them, crying out something. Aki didn't understand the new comer, only heard Strider curse rather violently. Nervously she asked, "What is going on?"

"Boromir, he is gone," Strider explained, "He spoke with such genuine remorse to me then, I thought it would be safe to leave him a while! Somehow he slipped from this ship. Where is he now? This wind! It must be his power at work. No wonder _Trishula_ is so uneasy."

"We have to find him!" Aki said with even more panic, "Even if he just wanted to use some other monsters to produce a favorable wind, he won't be able to hold back _Cia Pactillu_ for long. These ships are _full_ of people; every single one of them will be dinner for _Cia Pactillu_ if we don't stop him soon!"

"What?! What do you mean?" Strider was clearly shocked.

"The Earthbound Immortals, they feed on the souls of the living," Replied Aki, "If _Cia Pactillu_ is manifested fully, he will swallow the soul of every living creature in his vicinity! Only his own vessel and those with the Crimson Dragon's protection—in other words, just the two of us and Boromir himself—are safe. That is why I stopped you two's dueling earlier; it will be nearly impossible to keep everyone around safe…"

"Enough, let us find him first," Strider sprang forward, "So long he hasn't learned to walk on water yet, he must be on one of the ships." Even as he spoke they saw the pitch black night sky glowed blue; the light seemed to come from end of the fleet.

Aki nodded, and with a sweep of her hand and a few murmured words, she called forth her _Botanical Lion_, as the sweet smell of flowers rent the air. "Come on, my lion can jump far," She called to Strider from the back of the lion, "Time for me to give you a ride."

With a single great bound over some ten to fifteen yards of empty air, the flowery lion landed on the second ship of the black fleet. They raced ever onward even as the blue light in the dark sky glowed brighter, and they could almost see it, the ghost blue flames somewhere ahead, but still Boromir was nowhere to be seen. The wind howled furiously, and the ships picked up pace. Were the sudden favorable wind for any other reason, Strider would probably have rejoiced, but now, tension radiated from him like a palpable heat wave.

They finally found Boromir on a small vessel at the tail of the fleet. When the great lion leapt onto the ship they saw that it was already surrounded by blue flame. Behind Boromir the enormous blue-lined crocodile looked like a condensed form of the night itself. A dozen men stood on the deck, all trying valiantly to hold on to their swords but shaking like leaves.

"Boromir, enough!" Aragorn cried.

Slowly Boromir turned towards him and cocked his head. "The south wind is blowing now," Boromir said slowly, "Is it not a good thing that the south wind blows, Aragorn? We will reach Minas Tirith in time, and the White City will not fall. The glory of Gondor will live forever and ever, and none can overcome us, not even Sauron, who is but a shadow compared to the power we have now."

Behind Boromir the great crocodile screeched, and those valiant soldiers who tried until now to stand up to Boromir could no longer hold on. Some dropped to their knees with pained looks on their faces, a few others moved towards the side of the ship, as if wanting to throw themselves overboard.

"We have to get those people away!" Aki screamed, "Or… or we have to get away from them somehow!"

Strider did not respond immediately, but Aki suddenly heard the crisp notes of ice crinkling and cracking. She saw by the light of the blue fire the river surface was freezing over, the ice smooth and hard, vast expanses of black water suddenly turning into a ribbon of glowing silver. Strider stood very straight, looking out at the river surface too, and his eyes bore a look of concentration. Aki stared at Strider with amazement; she did not expect him to be _this_ powerful.

"Come with me, Boromir," Strider said, "Leave the presence of my men! Come, if you wish to settle this, we will settle this at a better place."

With that Strider threw himself overboard. There was a good distance between the ship and the ice still, and for a second it seemed that he would plunge straight into the black water, but pillars of ice rose to greet him, blooms of silver in the darkness of the night, like a war steed welcoming its master. Strider raced onward over the frozen surface of the river, and only stopped once he put twenty yards between himself and ship. Then he turned around and cried out in a terrible voice, "Come here now and stand before me, Boromir son of Denethor. If you seek a battle to end it all, you will come here, and away from my men!"

A pillar of red light rose from where he stood, piercing the sky like a sword. _Cia Pactillu_ screamed in response and charged towards where Strider stood. Boromir stood still for a moment, seemingly stunned and confused, but it was for a moment only. Then he laughed and jumped overboard also.

Aki knew the duel was upon her. "Come on, let's go," She murmured to her lion, "We are going after them."

When she caught up to the two men they were nearly completely surrounded by a ring of blue flame. They stood facing each other, while _Cia Pactillu_'s presence loomed over them. "Strider!" Aki called and ran up to him, "No, let me do this, Strider."

"It is my hesitation, my inaction," Strider said, voice bitter, "My plea to you to spare his life, and my willingness to trust him that all led to such a moment. I cannot let you risk your life for my folly and my cowardice, my lady."

Aki grabbed his hand. "Don't be ridiculous! I am a _signer_, Strider, I am sent here for this job. You are very powerful, but it takes more than just _Trishula_ by his lonesome self to defeat an Earthbound Immortal. You don't know how to do this yet! You said yourself you have other more important tasks. Come on, let me do this; I know what I am doing and I will _not_ fail."

Strider gave her a long look, but eventually nodded. "Thank you," That's all he said, before stepping out of the ring of fire. Then without another glance backward he turned and raced back towards the ship.

Aki did not begrudge him this; these panicked soldiers need their commander right now. She took a deep breath, and focused on the situation before her. _Cia Pactillu_'s form was disappearing, momentarily gone but sure to return during the duel; his screams lingered, that shrill sound would put fear in the hearts of the mightiest.

"You should have ended me when you had the chance; I am not so sure you are still capable of such a feat now," Boromir said. His voice was hollow, and it was impossible to know whether he was genuinely regretful or spoke those words in scorn. He waved his hand, and two balls of light appeared briefly before snuffing out, replaced by a great shark-like creature white-gold armor and holding a spiked sword in a defensive stance. From behind the armored shark Boromir murmured, "Go on now."

What is this, a special summon of sorts? And she had never seen that monster before. Aki tried to keep her face perfectly still as she strapped the duel pod to her wrist and loaded in her deck. She told Strider she would not fail—and she would not, even if she had to fight through the duel blind and guessing at every turn. She pulled up six cards from her deck and took a deep breath.

"I will defeat you," Aki murmured, "Spell activate, _One for One_!" _Dandylion_ went from her hand to the grave and _Glow-up Bulb _and two fluff tokens appeared on the field, and then she activated _Super Solar Nutrient_, turning _Glow-up Bulb _to _Lonefire Blossom_ then to _Gigaplant_. Finally Aki slapped down the fourth card this turn, "And normal summon _Plaguespreader Zombie_. Tuning level 2 _Plaguespreader Zombie_ and level 6 _Gigaplant_—Dark embers ignite the fire of rebirth, guardian of metamorphosis, be born; synchro summon, _Black Brutdrago_! Come to me, great dragon, and destroy that overgrown fish."

Boromir did not even blink when the mass of black steel and glowing embers obliterated his creature. He said nothing as a little winged frog appeared before him, followed by a fish surrounded by glass and metal. The two little water creatures hovered in mid-air, staring at Aki menacingly. _Treeborn Frog_ and _Fishborg Blaster_, of course, to be followed by the one and only. Indeed Boromir suddenly cried out in a loud voice, "Great immortal of resurrection, take up my willing offer, and grant me my heart's truest desire! Descend, _Earthbound Immortal Cia Pactillu_!"

As the ancient evil god descended, Aki turned back and looked at the black fleet. It seemed far from them now, but was it far enough? Blue fires danced furiously around her, and _Cia Pactillu_ screeched once more. She should have worried more about herself. Even as she was watching the fleet in the distance, _Cia Pactillu's_ attack bulldozed into her full force, throwing her into the air and then crashing her down on the ice. _Breathe_, Aki told herself, and then stood up slowly. She stood for a few silent moments, pushing back the pain and calming her fluttering heart, then she raised her head and smiled.

"I do not fear you," She said, and drew another card.

"Normal summon _Twilight Rose Knight_, and by its effect, special summon another plant; come to me, _Revival Rose_. Tuning level 3 _Twilight Rose Knight_ and level 4 _Revival Rose_—Cold flames envelop the world, pitch black flower, bloom! Synchro summon, appear before me, _Black Rose Dragon_!"

A crimson light flared in the dark sky above, and red, red flower petals began to dance. From on high the great dragon descended in all his florid glory, red and black wings spread out wide like the fires of summer, powerful and wild.

"_Black Rose_!" Aki called, "Activating the effect of _Black Rose Dragon_, destroy everything on the field. Come, faithful dragon, breathe the storm of destruction, _Black Rose Gale_!"

_Black Rose Dragon _roared in response. The wind around them picked up pace, racing and swirling like a young hurricane that just swept up from the sea; the flower petals carried by the wind became a thousand blades, tearing everything in their path. _Cia Pactillu _screamed in rage but could not withstand this most primal power of annihilation, its form began disintegrating even as its outraged cries lingered. Aki heard a cracking sound and knew _Black Rose Dragon_'s power was breaking the ice under her feet, but at this specific point she couldn't even be alarmed. She first had to defeat the dark signer and end _Cia Pactillu_ for good.

As the field cleared her _Gigaplant_ sprang up before once more, returned to life. "When _Black Brutdrago _is destroyed I can revive another Gemini monster in my grave with all of its effect unleashed," Aki said, "So _Gigaplant _comes back to me, and I will activate its effect, bring _Lonefire Blossom_ from the grave, and _Lonefire Blossom _will tribute itself for _Tytannial, Princess of the Camellias_ from the deck."

The barrage of attacks from some of her most powerful monsters still did not seem to touch Boromir. He stood there, silent and stoic, almost scornful. Aki glanced at the life point counter on her duel disk; her opponent had 2800 life points left, only one more attack and this would be over. Why was Boromir so unperturbed? Did he really not understand his imminent defeat, or did he still have something else up his sleeve?

"You cannot kill _Cia Pactillu_ so easily," Boromir's words cut short her pondering, "When he dies at your hand, all it takes is another creature sent to the afterworld in his place, and he returns even more powerful than before."

_You have got to be kidding me_.

Aki saw a white-armored creature appear momentarily, before vanishing into a mesh of blue glows. The blue light slowly condensed into the stylized lines upon _Cia Pactillu_'s body, and then _Cia Pactillu_'s entire form became visible, the return emphasized with yet another ear-piercing screech. Boromir raised his sword and pointed the blade at her, and _Cia Pactillu_ followed, charging forth with malicious glee. The pain was already blinding, but Aki was even more terrified when she heard the interminable sound of ice cracking when she crash landed. No, no, she could _not _afford to fall into the water right now; she _really_ needs to stay on her feet. She tried in vain to stand up, to find some footing on the shattering ice, but another wave of nauseating pain kept her still. She could feel the sheet of ice break asunder beneath her back, and the river water lapped at her cloak.

She forced herself to roll over and narrowly avoided falling through the crack, but still could not stand up. She was in so much pain, and her sight was on the verge of failing; everything seemed so blurry. Just then she heard someone call her name. Someone took a hold of her arms and gently helped her up, murmuring something beside her ears.

"Strider!" Aki gasped and her eyes snapped open.

"I am here now, be calm, my lady," Strider said in a comforting voice, "I am sorry I couldn't come to you earlier, but I am here. Let me finish this battle."

"No, it is _my _duel and it is not over yet!" Aki shook her head firmly,"If you will, just help me stand; I know how to finish this and I will defeat _Cia Pactillu_."

With that she put her hand to her duel disk and drew another card. _Pot of Avarice_. There it is, then; with the _Debris Dragon_ already in hand, she _will _have victory this turn. She smiled at Strider and said, "See? I have all I need for victory in my hand. Boromir controls powerful creatures for sure, and _Cia Pactillu_ the mightiest of them all, but he does not have access to the kind of magic that I do."

"Activating _Gigaplant_'s effect," Aki announced, "To bring back _Lonefire Blossom_, and _Lonefire_'s effect, tribute _Gigaplant_ to bring out _Copy Plant _from the deck. _Copy Plant_'s effect, copy _Lonefire_'s level. Now tuning level 3 _Copy Plant_ and level 3 _Lonefire Blossom_, synchro summon! Rise and greet me, guardian of the ice, _Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier_!"

When _Brionac_ appeared with a mighty roar Aki murmured a quick apology to her dragon. While she could not communicate directly with duel monsters the way Ruka or Strider can, she understood them well enough to know that they desire glorious battles by the side of their masters. But _Brionac_ could do little against _Cia Pactillu_ right now; she only summoned him for the purpose of manipulating the graveyard, and she was rather sorry for it. In response _Brionac _roared once more.

"He said he understands your tactics and thinks it a brilliant move," Strider translated quietly.

"Thank you," Aki murmured, and then placed _Pot of Avarice_ down on her duel pad. She returned _Black Rose Dragon_, _Black Brutdrago, Lonefire Blossom, Copy Plant _and _Gigaplant_ to deck and drew two more, though it hardly mattered what she drew.

"Normal summon _Debris Dragon_, and its effect bring back _Dandylion_ from the grave," Aki called out, "Now let's do this one more time, shall we? Tuning level 4 _Debris_ _Dragon_ and level 3 _Dandylion_, synchro summon! Bloom for me, _Black Rose Dragon_, and unleash the firestorm of summer—_Black Rose Gale_!"

Wind, fire, flower petals, and wings bright red like roaring flames, and so _Black Rose Dragon_ descended from on high and once more swept the field clean. The frozen surface of the great river cracked and shattered under the weight of _Black Rose Dragon_'s power, and for a brief moment Aki feared once more she might fall into the river. But Strider kept a firm hand on her arms, and ice continually formed under their feet, as readily as flowers would bloom for her. When the flowery storm ended, the field was empty save a single rose flower and two dandelion blooms in front of Aki.

"I thought your dragon… it destroyed everything," Strider murmured.

"When _Dandylion_ is sent to the grave, he leaves behind the tokens, and when a powerful plant is destroyed, _Revival Rose _returns from the dead," Aki explained, "I don't blindly destroy everything with no backup plan; _Cia Pactillu_ will come back next turn, so I either win now, or doom everyone."

She took a deep breath, and continued, "Activating _Glow-up Bulb'_s effect in the grave, send the top card of my deck to the grave to bring him back. Now tuning, level 1 _Glow-up Bulb, _level 4 _Revival Rose_, and level 1 fluff token, synchro summon! Splendid hunter and dweller of the sacred forest, with your scourge of justice in hand, come forth now. Appear before me, _Splendid Rose_, and attack directly!"

After the first attack Boromir was on the verge of life and death. Aki could not help but hesitate for that one brief moment. She glanced at Strider, and saw a grim but resolute look on his face. Strider murmured, "You said it is your task to protect the people here from that evil creature."

"Yes, yes that's true," Aki sighed, and called, "Activating _Splendid Rose_'s effect, banish _Glow-up Bulb_ from the grave, and one more attack!"

There was a keening wail in the background, a last cry of rage from _Cia Pactillu_, then the blue fires started to die. Boromir, stoic as ever, dropped to his knees in silence. Strider stared at him, still as a statue. Sensing the tension in Strider, Aki squeezed his hand and said, "Go, go to him, go say your farewells. He is himself now, and you have a little time yet."

Strider gave her a grateful look and a curt nod, and then rushed towards his friend. Even standing at a distance away, Aki could see the look of inconsolable grief on Strider's face as Boromir's form vanished into the darkness. He knelt there for a long time on the ice, oblivious of the cold and sunk deep in his own memories. Aki could feel something prickling at her eyes too. She _hated_ seeing scenes like these.

Eventually Strider stood up and came to her side. He looked sorrowful, and on top of it, troubled. "Boromir left me these," He said quietly, showing a handful of figurines of frogs, fishes, and other fantastic looking creatures, "I cannot refuse a dying man, yet I know not what to think of these. Is that evil creature…?" He left his question hanging.

"_Cia Pactillu_ is truly gone; you really shouldn't worry about him anymore," Aki said consolingly, "Those monsters themselves are not evil, they will serve you most faithfully. They might have certain tendencies, sure, but they follow the heart of their master. You trust _Trishula_, don't you? "

Strider gave her a quaint look, one that almost seemed to say, "Do I really?" but did not speak otherwise. He raised his head and looked northward, and suddenly he said, "The sun will rise soon."

Aki blinked, not quite sure what Strider meant.

"Minas Tirith still lies many leagues ahead," Strider continued in a low voice, "Boromir had brought down the south wind, but it did not last long; though I am grateful it turned out so, I still need the wind. See how slowly the fleet moves! And the White City burns."

Aki remained silent, for she had no idea what to say. She found Strider's wariness of duel monsters rather odd, but she had to remind herself again that Strider did not grow up dueling, and he just saw a friend being possessed by an Earthbound Immortal. It seemed natural enough for him to distrust this whole business. Eventually Strider sighed and stowed away the figurines in his bag. Just when Aki thought perhaps she really ought to make the offer, when Aragorn spoke suddenly.

"Do you think, my lady, that if I were not so wrecked with indecision, if I were the first to call forth the south wind we so desperately needed, I might have saved Boromir? He only acted thus because he saw no other way, because I would not act." His voice was slow and even, though the pain contained within was apparent.

His words brought Aki to tears, but she had no response. She wanted to console him, wanted to tell him that there was nothing he could do to wrest Boromir from the control of the Earthbound Immortal, but she knew he did not want to hear such things.

So Strider raised his hand and cried out, "Appear before me, _Trishula_, _Dragon of the Ice Barrier_, _Elemental Lord Moulinglacia_, and _Deepseaking Coelacanth_. Bring me a wind from the sea; fill the sails of my fleet!"

Almost immediately the wind picked up, roaring and charging northward like a thousand war stallions. The three great creatures of the sea appeared before them_, Trishula_ towering in the center like the king he was, flanked by _Moulinglacia_ and _Coelacanth_ on either side. They looked especially fearsome in the wane grey light of the early dawn.

Strider raised his head and looked towards those creatures, face weary and sad. "I have made my choice," He murmured, "We will arrive in time, no doubt. And whatever good and ill follows, I am willing to pay the price. I only pray that no other should ever pay for my choice."

* * *

**Earthbound Immortal Cia Pactillu**

**DARK/LV10/Effect/Sea-serpent**

**ATK 3000/DEF 2500**

**There can only be 1 face-up "Earthbound Immortal" monster on the field. Your opponent cannot select this card as an attack target This card is unaffected by your opponent's spell and trap cards. This card cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects. If this card is destroyed by your opponent's card effects, during your next Standby Phase, you can send one card from your hand to the graveyard to special summon this card; if you do, this card gains 1000 ATK points.**

* * *

PS: Okay, finally worked out the full effect of the new Earthbound Immortal. And please forgive me for completely forgetting the field card clause. I kept thinking that in the anime they don't have the field card clause, but I only had the impression because blasted _turbo duels_ and indestructible permanent field card _Speed World, _hence you never see that clause in action... Since I already wrote up all the games without the field card, well, we'll just have to live with ultra powerful Earthbound Immortals that don't need a field card for all those broken effects. As long as the good guys still win right? XD


	8. A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon

**8. A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon**

When Aragorn and Aki returned to the flagship, they saw the elven twins, Legolas and Gimli, and Halbarad were on deck, talking quietly amongst themselves. All murmurs stopped when Aki's flowery lion leapt onboard, and they looked at him silently as he dismounted, faces grim and eyes troubled. Sensing the tension in the air that Aki shrank back, half hiding behind Aragorn's back.

They stood in uncomfortable silence for a while, and then Gimli spoke up, voice gruff but full of concern, "Where is Boromir now, Aragorn? Did you find him? Did you bring him back?"Legolas too was looking at Aragorn expectantly.

"Boromir, may the One welcome his soul," Aragorn replied, voice barely a whisper, "He is gone now."

Another protracted silence, before Gimli said with a grunt, "She did it, that young lady behind you, didn't she? Your brothers and Legolas could see a little of what was going on. Now Aragorn, are you sure she is…"

Aragorn cut him off firmly, saying, "She offered to _help_, Gimli, at great risk to her own safety. She only did what she had to do, defending all of us from this evil; I would have done the same if it were within my power." His voice was stern and his eyes flashed dangerously. Gimli was amazed, and could find no response. But that look of anger quickly left Aragorn, and he sighed again, drawing a hand across his face. "Forgive me, Gimli my friend," He said, "It has been a very long day, but my weariness makes my temper run short. Aye, you have every right to doubt, yet I fear I have neither answers nor justifications for you."

"Brother."

Elladan stepped forward and put a hand on Aragorn's arm. He looked straight into the eyes of the Hope of Man he had known for some eighty years, and said, "We do not doubt you, brother. That presence you fought against, it was evil and dangerous, we could all sense it. Yet," He paused briefly, and continued in a slow and deliberate voice, "Beware of the powers you know not, Aragorn! Who can say whether it is truly a force of good, or another ring of power that ensnared the kings of men? Do not believe every fair thing it promises. But surely you know this."

Aragorn glanced up at the black sails pulled taut by the strong wind, and a grimace stole his face. He nodded stonily but did not speak.

The sun was still fresh when they neared Harlond; they would arrive even a little earlier than expected. The din of the battle drifted to their ears long before they could see the flame and the smoke, and even from so many leagues away, the sound wailed of despair. Did Minas Tirith yet stand? Aragorn wondered briefly. The greatest battle of his life was now upon him.

Aragorn found Aki standing at the bow of the ship, looking up at the newly unfurled banner with a look of wonder on her face. "It is so beautiful," She said with a sigh, "I don't know what the design means, but it is simply awe-inspiring. It also seems very sad, Strider, that such a beautiful thing should fly over a battlefield, over the blood and the dead bodies."

Aragorn gave her a long look and said with barely veiled sharpness, "So long it will call men to arms, what if it is blood-stained? Or do you prefer the white flag that spells the end on bended knees, such would not be very sad?"

Aki blushed furiously at these words, and she said hurriedly, "No, I didn't mean it like that! I am sorry, Strider. I didn't mean to say you are doing anything wrong; some wars are just and must be fought, even the most hardened pacifists would not deny such. It's just… It's just I really don't know what's going on. I, I want to, I mean I do wish to help you somehow…"

So Aragorn said in a gentler voice, "You have already helped me greatly, my lady. Worry not of the battle, and in any case you must stay on the ship; it is too dangerous elsewhere. I do not wish to see you come to harm, Aki."

He turned and was ready to depart when Aki called again. "Wait, just a moment!"

She took a few steps up to him and pressed the crystal case into his hand. "Please, take this with you," She said, "_Trishula_ will want to be by your side. I know he is there with you even without this card, but… it just doesn't feel right for me to hold on to this when you are about to go to war, you know what I mean."

So this time Aragorn did not refuse the symbol of his—though could he truly think that _Trishula_ was _his_?—dragon; he took the case the placed in his pocket. "Thank you," He said with a small bow and turned to leave. The ships were docking.

The Field of Pelennor was a black sea of enemies. As Aragorn rode out to brave the waves of battle, he could just glimpse faraway the form of a _Nazgul_ upon its fell winged steed swooping down where the green banner of Rohan flew. So Theoden has indeed arrived, and he now faced an enemy no mortal man could defeat. Fear and worry besieged him, but he was simply too far away. Even unhindered it would take the good part of an hour to reach that banner, never mind the sea of evil that stretched between them. A long spear flying his way that he avoided at the very last moment reminded him once more that he better focus on the enemies he could reach. There was no room for distraction on the battlefield. Sometime in the midst the fighting Aragorn heard a cry went up in the shuddering air, a shrill wail in the wind, a shadow that rose and then faded. What was this, a _Nazgul_ defeated? His pondering proved to be very brief, for suddenly a shadow fell upon his own banner—the very same shadow.

Of course the flag of Elendil would draw the eyes of the Enemy's mightiest generals. With a grim face Aragorn spurred his towards the direction of his flag; he could not let Halbarad his standard bearer, the most beloved of friends and kinsmen, face the wrath of the Nazgul alone. There were at least three Nazgul upon their winged beasts wheeling directly above Halbarad. They circled low, almost as vultures sizing up a piece of carnage.

"Halbarad!" Aragorn called, Anduril flying in his hand, hewing down enemy after enemy. But for every enemy he cut down, at least two would take the place, and he was still a good distance away from his friend.

Then with a piercing screech, one of the fell beasts dove down like a twisted bird of prey. The great standard glittering with the seven stars and the white tree fell to the ground, but it was for a moment only, swiftly the standard rose once more. From afar Aragorn saw that Halbarad had dismounted and planted the standard in the earth, now he stood before the great flag, tall and terrible, the long sword gleaming in his hand. Even the shadows of the Nazgul could not darken the standard of Elendil entirely; a few stray beams of sunlight would find an opening in the thrashing of black wings to glance off the jewels on the flag, creating a ripple of sparkles that looked like spring flowers in the blackened field.

Halbarad seemed to say something, but Aragorn was still too far away to hear. He only saw the Nazgul unsheathing its great black sword and approaching Halbarad. They exchanged blows, struck and parried, while Aragorn fought desperately to reach his friend. _Pelennor would become Halbarad's final resting place_—everyone with a measure of foresight had seen it, even Halbarad himself. Was it about to unfold before his very eyes? When Aragorn saw Halabard fall he could barely contain himself. A cold fury suddenly swallowed him, and it was always easier to make a decision when anger and desperation become the overwhelming drive.

_Trishula_'s name was on the tip of his tongue, when a cloud of crimson swept towards the Nazgual. A powerful roar resounded over the Field of Pelennor like a peal of thunder, and the great dragon with wide wings of rose petals soared, black serpentine body glittering under the sun as if from carven from obsidian. The great beast lunged at the Nazgul circling above Halbarad, and with one swipe of his powerful thorny tail, he sent Mordor's most fearsome captains reeling away, screeching as they fled. Then he dove down and snapped at the third Nazgul, taking off the head of the Nazgul's winged steed with a single bite. Enemies and allies alike were now fleeing away from Elendil's standard, terrified by the powers of this unimaginable creature.

Then the dragon came towards Aragorn and crashed to a halt right in front of him. The flowery dragon bore none other than Aki upon its back, and the young woman looked at him with distress, crying out, "Why didn't you tell me? You should have told me that your enemies aren't… aren't even human! I would have helped gladly from the very beginning. But it doesn't matter now, I am here. Tell me what you want me to do."

Aragorn was stunned speechless for a moment. It was only his instinct as a captain, honed by so many years of bitter warring, that pushed aside all uncertainties to cut straight to the most essential of battlefield tactics. "Down all the siege towers for me, every single one of them!" He commanded, "And secure the city gate if you can; I want to keep the battle out on the field."

She nodded and whispered a few words to her dragon. With one beat of those red and florid wings, the dragon took off, heading towards the gate of Minas Tirith. A heartbeat later Aragorn realized with a grimace that Aki, however young and fair, would be no less terrifying to the defenders upon the city wall than the Lord of Nazgul himself. But there was no time to regret such details, and Halbarad might still be in dire strait, so he wheeled his horse and rode towards the standard. By the time Aragorn reached Halbarad's side the standard bearer was just clambering up, leaning on his sword.

"Halbarad, kinsman!" Aragorn called to him, "Are you hurt? Speak to me, Halbarad."

Halbarad did not seem to hear him, rather the standard bearer looked towards the gate of the White City, expression very close to fear. Halbard did not even seem afraid when three Nazguls encircled him like wolves circling their prey. Aragorn turned and looked as well, and he saw the once broken and empty gateway of the city was now sealed shut by a wall of tangled branches. Those branches were bare and black, sprouting neither leaves nor flowers, only thorns like darkened blades, and before this wall of thorns there were yet more vines and branches, those ones startlingly green and bearing eerie black flowers, a sprawling sea of over-saturated colors. The many siege towers situated near the city wall were also being swallowed by vines; dead structures of metal and wood seemed to turn into tangles of living plants, and then imploded in swirls of leaves and colorful flower petals. After what seemed like forever locked in this mesmerized horror, Halbarad finally turned towards his chieftain.

"You know I trust you with all my being," Halbarad said in a low voice, "You said she is not an enemy, yet I am still afraid, Aragorn. How can one not be afraid, when faced with such powers over which mortal kind should never have a claim? I do not want to be beholden to such powers."

Aragorn replied steadily, "And you are not, Halbarad. We owe her our gratitude, but nothing more. "

"Evil has sprung from even more inconspicuous beginnings. I do not want to see you, our chieftain and king, to be beholden to any power, much less one so dangerously potent."

Aragorn clenched his teeth in frustration. He knew well that Halbarad's words were in every way reasonable, but he did not want to be questioned at this particular moment, in the midst of all this slaughter and carnage. Halbararad's words had struck a chord of fear in his heart, not because of Aki and her strange ways, but because how close he had come to unleashing _Trishula_ upon his foes before all Middle-earth. As danger and desperation pressed near he had reached for _Trishula_ like reaching for the hilt of _Anduril_, but _Trishula _was no simple sword! Trishula was a fierce and seemingly indefatigable creature, with his own will and purpose, and he spoke plainly of another master. Was he not rather like the Ring of Power then?

But no, now was simply not the time for these dark thoughts! The battle still raged on all around him. So Aragorn drew a deep breath and said, "I know your misgivings, Halbarad, and neither is my heart easy. But we cannot forget the dire task at hand. Let us move, we have hardly won the day yet, and there is no rest until Pellenor is swept clean of enemies."

So the battle of Pelennor Field raged on. It would seem that fortune now smiled upon the defenders of the White City, for the Nazguls were defeated or fled, the enemy's many siege towers thrown down, and more catapults and siege weapons set aflame. Yet the sprawling field of black flowers before the gate of Minas Tirith chilled the blood of all men of Gondor, and their enemies remained fierce in desperation.

Such was the uncertainty that when the Rohirrim bearing the bodies of their King and lady heard that Eowyn may yet live, they only looked among themselves with gloom. What aid was there in the midst of battle? Yet what aid could come from the city, and what refuge would they find, now that the gate was barred by a sea of evil flowers? Imrahil too was troubled as he looked towards the White City, but he said, "We must take the lady Eowyn into the City, to the House of Healing, or else she will surely join her forefathers. Come, men of Rohan, I shall accompany you to the gate; Minas Tirith will not be closed to her allies and friends."

They made good pace across the field, even threw off a few companies of enemies on their way, but men and horses alike slowed as they neared the gate. Up close they could see that the crowd of flowers before them was indeed pitch black, and the air became repressive with the heavy fragrance. Imrahil urged his horse forward and led the way. He remained on high alert as his horse trampled those black flowers underfoot. At first there was nothing, but when he entered well into the confines of this newly sprung garden, something stirred. Branches waved and flowers shivered, as if whispering amongst themselves in the secret tongue of green things. Imrahil pulled his horse to a stop warily, and just in time to see a new plant sprang up right in front of him.

A thick stem broke through the earth, growing and lengthening at an unbelievable pace, and only a few seconds later it became a full rose bush as tall as a young child. A single black rose flower bloomed at the top of the bush, the eerie blossom larger than a man's head. Imrahil gripped his sword firmly, and just as he was about to unsheathe the blade and hew down this strange plant, he heard the sound of leaves shuffling, this time louder and alerting him of the presence of a person.

From the deeps of the green sea a young woman emerged. She was about Lady Eowyn's age, but whereas Eowyn was tall and stern and powerful as a newly forged blade of glistening steel, she was small and slender, like a shy little bird that flitted in the forest canopy. She was wearing a dark cloak obviously not her own, for the garment was so large it all but buried her. Yet Imrahil could still see her face, pale and beautiful, with a pair of bright golden eyes, framed by free-flowing red hair. She looked fair and innocent, but Imrahil only grew more wary.

The young woman looked at him and spoke with uncertainty. Her words were utterly foreign, like nothing Imrahil had ever heard and without even the least resemblance to the tongues of Harad or of Far East. For a moment Imrahil could only blink with confusion, until he noticed that the young woman was pointing at him, or the white tree upon his vambrace, to be exact. The young woman nodded, and then raised her hand, pointing at something far away—at the great black standard with the white tree and seven stars upon it, Imrahil realized. She was looking at Imrahil questioningly, as if waiting for him to confirm, so Imrahil nodded, though still deeply puzzled. And the young woman smiled at him and bowed slightly; she turned and pointed to the city gate, beckoning for them to follow. As she walked, the overgrown leaves and flowers rustled and shrank back, like loyal subjects parting and bowing for their queen.

The Rohirrim shifted uncomfortably behind him, and indeed Imrahil himself was still wary, but the need to return to the city was great. So Imrahil said, "Men of Rohan, think of your lady! She must go to the House of Healing immediately. Be not afraid, 'tis an ally who walks before us."

Following the young woman, they waded their way through this unnatural garden. This time no more black flowers sprang up before their path. When they finally reached the city gate, they saw that the broken gate was now replaced by a veritable wall of tightly intertwoven branches. Those branches were black and bare, and decked with thorns like a thousand spearheads. The men remained silent, though few did not feel a sudden chill in his heart. But the young woman did not even turn; she raised her hand and gestured, and the black branches became alive, moving and untangling themselves, until they parted to make an opening wide enough to accommodate three horses riding side by side. The young woman turned and smiled at the company behind her, gesturing for them to enter the city.

Imrahil gave the men of Rohan instructions to find the House of Healing, but did not himself enter the city. He would not return to Minas Tirith until the battle is done. He watched the wall of branches and thorns seal shut behind him once, and then followed the young woman across the garden of black flowers. And when he finally re-emerged onto the open field, he felt as if he just escaped some fantasy kingdom of intermingled wonder and terror.

Imrahil could not stop himself, he turned to the red-haired young woman and asked, "Who are you, lady? Why are you here, and what is all this for?" Of course she did not understand, and in his frustration Imrahil repeated his question despite the futility, gesturing to the overgrown garden behind them, "What is this? Why are you doing this?"

The young woman seemed to grasp a rough idea of his question, so she nodded, and once more pointed at the standard of Elendil flying over Pelennor Field. She spoke while gesturing at everything behind her, and pointing again to the banner. Did she mean that she did it at the command of he who bears the standard of Elendil?

Imrahil could only stare. _Who_ was this strange lord out of ancient legends, who raised the flag of Numenor, who not only brought a mighty fleet to Minas Tirith at the direst hour and turned the tides of battle, but also called upon the aid of this strange young witch before him? With ample confusion he turned and looked south. The battle seemed to be dying down; the only standards still flying high were those of his own house, of Rohan, of the various fiefdoms of Gondor, and of course that great black banner of sevens stars and one white tree. There was not a single intact siege engine out on the field, and enemy forces had either fled or were fleeing. The sun had shrunk back behind clouds some time ago, and the sky was now dim; night was close at hand.

Even as those endless questions assailed Imrahil he heard the sound of horse hooves nearing, and the black standard approached. Gondor's strange savior rode up to Imrahil; he was a tall man, taller than all men Imrahil had known save one, with dark hair and piercing silver eyes. He could not be called broad, but hidden within his wiry frame was a burning strength, rich and glorious like the sun in the zenith. Even in the dimming light Imrahil had no doubt that the full blood of Numenor stood before him, though there was something else too. Imrahil had encountered many great and glorious lords of high blood before, indeed he himself numbered among the highest, but this man was something else. Yes, there was the high heritage, but also long years of experience and wisdom unequaled in the race of Man, a heart hardened by much bitterness but still gentle and kind, a soul that blazed with such bright nobility he recognized almost instinctively.

Imrahil bowed deeply, not the least bit unwilling. "Welcome to Minas Tirith, my lord," Said the swan prince, "And Gondor thanks your aid."

"There is no need for gratitude, for such is my duty," The one who rode under the standard of Elendil replied, "Well met, son of Adrahil; it has been many years."

Imrahil was puzzled, and then recognition finally dawned. Feeling even more exhilarated, he opened his mouth, wanting to offer a proper greeting for a long-parted friend, but he noticed his old commander's attention had already turned elsewhere.

Aragorn turned towards the red-haired young woman and said in a gentler voice, "Thank you, Aki, for securing the gate. Now the battle is done, can you reopen the way? We have the dead and the wounded coming and they need to reach the House of Healing quickly."

_But she does not understand Westron_, Imrahil thought to himself, brow furrowing. To his utter amazement, he saw the young woman nod with a grave expression upon her fair face, as if she understood everything perfectly; she stood straighter and waved her hand—and just like that, the sea of black flowers stirred and sighed, and the wall of thorns blocking the gate of the White City parted, before everything slowly vanished into the night shades.

Imrahil tried to keep his expression still, but the shock was indeed great. Just like that, just like that! A wall of thorns, and a newly sprung garden, all of these things simply vanished with a few words of command from a young woman; returned to nothingness as easily as it was when they were called forth from nothingness. Imrahil did not witness how these things appeared, thus to see it so close how they disappear, he was shaken to the core. And to think, one who controls such sorcery would answer the beck and call of this heir of Elendil.

It was as if a faint shadow had fallen over the blaze. When Imrahil looked towards Gondor's savior again, he was suddenly afraid.


	9. Book of Life

**9. Book of Life**

Aki had sensed something off about Strider's war before seeing it.

She sat huddled down in the cabin of the flagship, all by herself lonesome. She could hear the din of the battle, the shouts and screams and the rumble of the earth, just a little. At least it was medieval warfare,, without the relentless roaring of artillery fire, nor bomber planes overhead, and certainly nothing that will blow hundreds of men to smithereens with a single strike. Just then she heard a screech, a long, terrible wail that could only be so distorted by the Doppler Effect.

The Doppler Effect? Aki paused. But this was _medieval warfare_, she was just telling herself that! Why would there be anything capable of producing a Doppler Effect distortion? A shadow suddenly fell over her heart, and she shivered involuntarily. Something nasty was near; not nasty like mankind's own savage weapons and firearms, this was something sinister and ancient, something more fantastic. Aki stood up, hesitated for a few moments, and then raced out of the ship cabin.

She emerged onto the deck just in time to see a great black _dragon_ swoop by. It was an ugly creature, pure black with leathery bat wings, and decked with spiked armor of black metal. A person wrapped in black cloak was riding on the back of the dragon. Aki had seen every kind of duel monsters, beautiful ones and not so beautiful ones, and she knew not to judge them based on appearance, but this black dragon _felt_ evil, overflowing with malice, almost like an Earthbound Immortal. The black dragon swooped down not far from the river like a vulture, sending people flying away and screaming. Far away, even more of these things circled in the sky.

Aki took a deep breath and tried to diagnose the sight before her rationally. These dragon riders could not be Strider's allies; if he already had dragons in his ranks he wouldn't be so reserved about Trishula. If those unnatural things are Strider's enemies, then she probably can—indeed she very much _should_—help. And that was all the rationalizing she needed; in a heartbeat she was in the air, flying on the back of her _Black Rose Dragon_.

And so it began.

At Strider's request she took down all the siege towers. _Ivy Shackle_ did most of the work, turning all these structures into living plants; then it was only using _Fragrance Storm_ on these targets, the swift magic making them implode one by one. She was feeling the strain when she reached the thirteenth siege tower, but it was the last; the soldiers on the ground did their fair share. Then she set _Wall of Thorns_ and _Black Garden_ before the gate of the great walled city and stood on guard there, hidden among the black blooms of her garden.

As the day waned a group of soldiers entered her realm. She was surprised at first; for the whole day none dared to step into her stronghold of black flowers. But soon she saw those men were carrying a stretcher. Someone hurt in need of a hospital inside the city, or some sort of trick to infiltrate? She pondered a few moments, and finally stepped out into their path.

Upon a good look at the company, her first reaction was: _they are all humans; that's a great start_. And then she had to shake her head slightly at the absurdity of her thought. She had never imagined that _species _would become a useful criterion in judging good and evil! Then Aki noticed the person lying on the stretcher; it was a young woman not much older than herself, with long blonde hair but dressed in the armor of a man. A Joan of the Arc of sort? Aki wondered to herself. She wanted to get closer, to see how the blonde woman was hurt and if she could help, but the leader of the group, another tall dark-haired wearing armor embossed with a swan-like ship, was looking at her rather sternly. Aki appraised the group once more and saw the design of a white tree on the leader's vambrace. Allies and good guys, she surmised, and was content to let them pass. The leader—the swan prince, as Aki secretly named him—did not enter the city for some reason, but followed her back through the garden to the open field.

When they emerged the edge of the black garden again Aki saw Strider's black banner approach, the stars upon the banner shining brightly in the waning sunlight. Strider rode up to them accompanied by two men of his company and another golden-haired stranger. He looked terrible in more ways than one, so fierce, an awe-inspiring thing, yet at the same time he was covered with battle grime and was absolutely exhausted. He said a few cryptic words of greeting to the swan prince, before asking Aki to reopen the city gate.

"Is the battle over then?" Aki ventured a question tentatively.

"Yes, it is for now, at a great price," Strider murmured tiredly, "But the war is far from over, and what lies beyond is hidden from all mortal sights. I thank you for your aid again, Aki, now come with me. Men are pitching tents as we speak; I deem you could use some rest after such a day."

With that he dismounted and helped Aki onto his own horse. After another small exchange with the swan prince and the blond stranger, Strider parted way with them; the other twos went into the city, while Strider spurred his horse towards where his own men were setting up tents on the open field.

As they rode, Aki asked worriedly, "Are you quite alright, Strider? You are injured; is it really bad? Maybe we should stop and take a look at it."

"I am quite alright," Replied Strider somewhat absently.

Aki rolled her eyes. "What is it, a men thing?" She whispered, "I _know_ you are not alright. I am not that blind I can't see blood seeping through from underneath that leather vambrace, and that your right hand is pretty immobile right now. Seriously, is it really bad? I am a medical student, remember? I can wrap it right now and make sure you aren't bleeding to death if it's bad."

Strider chuckled, at least it sounded like a chuckle. And then he sobered and said, "It is not so bad that I am in danger of bleeding out, though your offer is greatly appreciated. Do you know how to suture a wound? I might need your help yet."

By the time they reached the rest of Strider's company, they saw that three tents were already up. One tent housed the wounded, and that was where Strider visited first; only after seeing all wounded men were attended to by those in his company with healing skills did he leave with a measure of relief. All the while Aki watched him with worry, wondering if she should remind him that he really ought to have his own hurt checked.

After a few moments Strider turned towards her. As if sensing her worry Strider nodded and said, "Worry not, my injury is not so grievous that I cannot spare these few moments. But come."

They settled down in the third empty tent. Strider handed Aki a bag and said, "I have in there healing supplies, needle and thread and such, take a look and tell me if you know how to use them."

Aki opened the bag and saw rolls of bandages, a variety of herbs wrapped in fabric, though there seemed to be more fabric than herbs left, and also a small leather pouch that held three curved silver needles of varying sizes and some catgut wrapped in a square of linen. She eyed the needles and thread suspiciously; they looked clean enough, but being a med student, she couldn't possibly trust "looking clean enough". She sighed and mumbled, "You won't happen to have alcohol, would you?"

Strider said in a dry voice, "No, though there may be a little water for that."

"The needle at least I can sterilize over fire, but the thread is _catgut_!" Aki said, face growing paler, "Natural catgut is terrible, and water won't much good in cleaning it. If it's not sanitized, it all but guarantees your wound will become infected. Seriously, I can't stick dirty needle and that kind of thread in your body! That will probably just kill you faster."

Strider had already loosened his vambrace and cleaned his hands as best he could, now he was dabbing the wound clean with a wet cloth. Hearing her words he only said with a grimace, "I will take the chance and live with a suture; we must all make do with what we have. But at least you sound like you know perfectly well what you are doing."

Aki shuffled closer to look at his wound, and she could not help but feel a little queasy despite having served on a hospital's emergency floor. A gaping cut slashed across his upper forearm, right between his elbow and where the vambrace's protection ended. The cut narrowly missed the major vein, for which everyone could be thankful, but it was still deep enough to slash into muscles. One could barely tell the color of his skin, for it was black and blue with bruises, or else covered by blood and grime, that even the glaring red mark of the Crimson Dragon was almost obscured.

Seeing her uneasy look Strider spoke in a soft voice, "I am sorry, my lady, for laying the burden on you, but I do not wish for my friends and companions to see… this."

Aki blinked, and then realized that Strider wasn't talking about the wound, he was talking about the Crimson Dragon's mark. Aki stood up, and almost impulsively, she pushed back her sleeve and rolled her long woolen glove down to her wrist. The exactly same red mark in the form of a grasping claw was seared onto her arm, the red sign all but glowing against her ivory skin.

"I used to think this is the sign of some sort of terrible curse," Aki said, pointing to the mark, "For the first seventeen years of my life I hated it, hated myself, fought against everything around me like a wild animal. Until someone taught me that I should never be ashamed of what I am, neither hate nor fear myself, and whatever I am capable of, what I actually do is still _my choice to make_."

So sudden was her fiery outbreak that Strider could only look up at her in silent amazement. His gaze made her blush, and she rolled back her glove and smoothed her sleeve again. "I am sorry, the whole issue touched a raw nerve," She murmured, "But that's neither here nor there. Your wound, I am afraid it might be problematic. It needs subcutaneous stitches, and with no forceps and no surgical scissors, this will be a long and drawn out process. You will also anesthetics, local, not just topical."

Strider was looking at her with puzzlement, and Aki sighed. Apparently whatever mystic power that was translating between them cannot quite explain all the medical terms on the first try. So she said again, "Your cut is too deep; it will need at least two layers of sutures, and I don't have the tools to do this quickly and efficiently. It is bound to be a slow and painful process. Do you have some herbs that can just put you to sleep?"

Strider shook his head slowly and said, "No, I do not want drug-induced sleep right now. We do not have the time for a delicate procedure either; just use the largest needle and sew deeper, pack everything tightly, it will have to do."

Aki glared at him. "I am sorry, I do have professional ethics to adhere to. I am not doing anything that will jeopardize your use of that arm in the long run." A pause, and then she added, "I also don't want to kill you from the pain."

Strider was silent for a long a while and at last said with a sigh, "You realize, my lady, that my world stands at the brink of the final battle. Does it matter how well my arm is, if we all fall to the shadows in the last confrontation? I only need something to hold the wound together so that I may still hold my sword in the coming battles. I cannot linger long here, other needs call me. Just help me stitch the wound together; I cannot do it myself with my left hand."

At his words Aki could feel tears in her eyes again. She never did learn what exactly this war was about, other than the fantastic dragon-riding enemies, yet Strider always seemed so resigned when he spoke of it, as if he was afraid to hope, afraid to foresee a happy ending, at least for himself. But he would not simply accept defeat either; he was throwing himself from one battle to the next, out of desperation or duty or inability to do anything else or whatever, she did not know. She drew a breath and put her hand on his wrist lightly.

"Look, there might be something else," She said in an earnest voice, "If you will let me, I can try to heal you. Not with needle and thread and herbs. I have done it a few times before; I healed my friends and myself after a particular trying duel, and I brought back a dying little boy at the hospital. Here in your world my power seems especially uninhibited, maybe I can try…"

Strider drew back his arm sharply, grey eyes narrowing and shining with a hardened glint.

"What?" Aki blinked with confusion.

"So now you can make hurts gone without a trace and bring back the dead?" Strider's voice was full to the brim with distrust.

Aki raised an eyebrow and shot back, "After I grew a garden in the midst of an empty field and called out a dragon, now a bit healing power throws you off?"

"I am a healer myself," Strider said, expression still hard, "It is not healing power that troubles me. I would gladly accept your skills if you plan to use that needle and the thread."

Just then the tent flap opened and a few others entered. Strider swept his sleeve down over his arm, so abrupt was his motion that Aki winced in pain for him. "Don't _do_ that to yourself!" She hissed at him.

A dark-haired man and an elder in white robe entered the tent. The dark-haired man Aki recognized as one of Strider's company, but the old man was a stranger. She looked at him curiously. Why, he looked at least seventy, if not eighty years old, with those snowy-white hair and beard. Why was he so close to the frontline of battle? The old man too was looking at her, black eyes behind bushy eyebrows thoughtful and none-too-friendly.

But quickly the old chap turned towards Strider and said something, to which Strider replied with surprise, "Indeed? Yes, I will come with you, Gandalf. But let me quickly bind my own scrapes before visiting the wounded, lest I make them even more ill."

With that he went to his bag and fished out his remaining bandages. He rolled up his sleeves with his back turned towards the newly come companions, and using just his left hand and his teeth, began to wrap his wound clumsily.

Aki jumped up. "Are you serious?" She said incredulously, "Look, that wound needs to be treated, and your arm really should be in a sling, yet you plan to play doctor with an open gash on your arm?"

Strider glanced at her, but did not respond, only continued his task of binding his arm. Aki shook her head and said with frustration, "You are just taking advantage of the fact your companions don't understand me, so I can't tell them to stop you, is that it? At least let me help you. You didn't refuse my help on the battlefield, so why refuse now?"

Strider knotted the end of the bandage and pulled it tight, before raising his head and giving her a long and hard look. "Stay here and rest, my lady," That was all he said before he turned and left.

Strider did not return for a long time. The sky had just turned dark when he left, and now even the moon was sinking, still there was no sign of him. A couple men in his company came and brought Aki food and water at one point; they smiled at her as if comforting a child, but their smiles were reserved and distant. As time dragged on Aki grew more worried; really, what was Strider thinking? His wound would soon be past suturing if this dragged out any longer. When even the moon sank beneath the mountains Aki decided enough was enough. She wrapped the cloak around her tightly and slipped out of the tent, making her way to the White City.

The very first gateway stood empty, and indeed the outermost part of the city was in utter ruins. No one wandered there, she only saw piles of broken stone and rubble. As she moved up the hill and deeper into the city, she began to see more people despite the ungodly hour. When she went past the fifth gate (or rather, after she climbed over the fifth wall), she saw many people gathered around a great building. By the faint light of many candles and torches she saw stretchers carrying the wounded and the sick—this looked like a field hospital; Strider was probably here.

Aki wove among the outer ring of the people, looking for Strider, but all she saw was the unending imagery of human suffering. There were many men pale and unconscious on stretchers, others with ghastly wounds bleeding through bandages, or even a limb or two fewer than they should have. The myriad of hurts made her stomach churn, and she was glad that she barely had any food to eat in the past few days. In her search Aki eventually came upon a woman. She seemed younger than most of people here, and she sat on the ground a distance away from the rings of people, all by herself, and she was crying piteously into her scarf. The woman didn't seem to be hurt herself, but her weeping was even more wretched than most others. Aki watched her for a few seconds with uncertainty, and then approached tentatively.

"Are you hurt in some way? Are you here to see a healer? Maybe you should move closer to the other people waiting." Aki said, gesturing all the while.

The woman only glanced at her, and then continued her wailing. Aki stepped near her and was about to offer more consolation when she suddenly noticed something. There was a wheelbarrow beside the crying woman, and a child sat inside the wheelbarrow, or one should say, what was _once_ a child sat inside the wheelbarrow. It was a little girl, seven maybe eight years old, wearing a simple linen dress, and with her dark hair and green eyes, she would have looked the perfect little angel. But now the angel was covered with horrific looking burns, her hands, arms and feet were all red and black, and she only had half a face left, the other half was a mangled swollen mess. The little child's eyes were open, wide but unseeing, and she never moved, as if she was already dead.

Aki took a deep breath and pushed down all her desire to cry and to flee, and tried to assess the situation scientifically. Third degree burn on the child's feet, second degree on hand and arms, and second degree on her face; those third degree burn on her feet were, what, maybe seven or eight percent of the body surface, and the rest of the burns added up to about fifteen percent. It would have been a major burn on anyone, never mind a child so young; fluid loss, hypovolemia, and cardiac system failure, all of these symptoms were either already manifested or about to. The child needs IV treatment right now, and maintenance fluid on top of that; her feet probably need surgical procedures too. Aki cursed softly under her breath. She was standing in the middle of a war torn medieval city! She couldn't even find alcohol for sanitation purpose, how could she possibly put together an IV unit, or find someone who can perform burn surgeries? And the child will die any moment. The child's mother was still crying beside her, and the wails fell on Aki's heart like hammers. She felt she could barely breath.

Suddenly a very familiar emergency room flashed before her eyes. She heard her own voice, escaping into the room with a panicked shrill, "Blood pressure dropping, still dropping; Doctor it's not stabilizing at all…" And then the monotonous and drawn out beep of the heart monitor cut across the thick air of the room like a knife, and everyone, everything fell utterly silent for a second. And then it was uproar again. "Get the defibrillator online!" Doctor Heinlein shouted, "We have to try, try everything we can. He is eleven years old…"

Aki felt she was back at that moment, when all the shock and panic and heartache melded together into only one thought echoing between the walls of her skull.

"I wish you will live," She whispered.

She extended a hand and touched her trembling fingers to the girl child's face, the good half of her face that was still cream and peach. "I wish you will live," Aki repeated, tears flowing free now, "No one should suffer like this, especially not you, little one. You have your whole life in front of you, a whole age. I wish you will grow up and see everything there is to see."

And the little girl blinked her sparkling green eyes. Her charred skin and flesh smoothed back into creamy unbroken skin, as if the burns never happened, and the child's fingers curled and uncurled, each time with more vigor. Aki stared at her, unblinking and unmoving, a hand still on the child's face. Eventually the child cried out and stood up. She nearly capsized the wheelbarrow and fell over, if it were not for her mother snatching her up and hugging her so tightly that the child cried again in protest. So the mother released her daughter; she knelt down in front of Aki and kissed her hand with a fervent piety.

The woman's cries and shouts finally seemed to attract attention. People turned around, slowly forming a ring around them, staring balefully and murmuring amongst themselves. Aki stood there frozen, like a deer caught in the headlight. But awkward as it was, she did not feel like she wanted to run and hide. No, rather, she wanted to _help_ those people. Except there was still the language barrier, and even if it weren't for that, she had no idea what she should say in either case.

Suddenly Strider emerged from the crowd. He was at her side in a few strides, and gripped her arm tightly. "What are you doing here?" He asked, voice a low hiss.

"I, I came looking for you," Aki said, "I am worried about you. You do know there is only a twelve-hour window for sutures right?" She was staring at his arm, almost as if trying to see through his sleeve and bandage to assess the state of his injury.

"What did you _do_?" He did not seem to hear her, only questioned once more, gesturing towards the green-eyed little girl discreetly.

Aki blinked slowly and then lowered her head. "I wanted to help; the poor child shouldn't die. I mean if I were in my own world, if I could put together an IV unit, find a surgeon who knows how to deal with deep burns, she could probably make it. But here, here... She was about to die any moment! There was nothing else I could do, except this. You are a doctor too, surely you know what I mean, Strider."

Strider looked at her in silence, still as a statue of stone. Finally Aki shifted with nervous energy and said, "Are we just going to stand here? You look terrible, by the way. Let me look at your arm; even if you won't let me heal you, I suppose I can do the kind of suture you asked for. And then you should probably rest."

Strider nodded very slowly, and then said, "I am indeed near the end of my strength, though there are a few more men there who need stitches and splints. I would be most grateful if you are willing to help. Those are only simple tasks. There is none other like that girl child; she was indeed fortunate to live until now. You must not." With that he held out the water skin and motioned for her hands.

He didn't quite finish the sentence, but Aki knew well what he meant. So she nodded silently while washing her hands, and then took the bag of supplies and the water skin from him. When she first approach the crowd the people all shrank back, guarded and fearful. Strider came up behind her and spoke to the crowd, before guiding her to a young man lying on a stretcher. Aki saw the young man had a broken arm and a deep cut on his calf. After brief examination, she determined that the break was clean and uncomplicated, and the cut was certainly much easier to sew up than Strider's injury. Aki quickly began working, first setting the young man's arm, binding and splinting it; then she sewed up the cut on the calf. This time there was anesthetics for the patient (a kind of opiate extracted from the poppy plant, it seemed), though the thread was still catgut and made her cringe. For the first few minutes Aragorn watched her intently, but seeing everything was in order he nodded at her and returned to tend others.

After Aki was done with a fourth patient, she rose to find that every sick and wounded gathered seemed to be attended to. She used the last bit of water to rub her hands clean of blood and gore, and then breathed out a deep sigh. It has been a very long day, and she was beginning to feel the exhaustion setting in. Strider walked towards her and said, "Thank you, my lady. We are all but done here; my companions will finish with the last few wounded. We can return to the tent now if you are ready."

"Wait, one more thing," Aki said hurriedly, "Can you ask the people here for some more supplies? Namely that anesthetics, the drink they had that put patients to sleep. Also can you ask them if they have any strong liquor? I am sure the city is better stocked than your company; they probably have those things."

Strider raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Aki could only look at him with exasperation. "Do you not care about your arm at all? I am not sure how you lasted through tonight to begin with, but seriously, that injury needs to be treated."

Strider's face twisted into a small wry smile, and he said, "I barely used my right arm tonight, for I left the tasks of suturing wounds and binding bones to others, and only attended those that truly needed my skills. I am not so ignorant of self-preservation, my lady."

"That's good. When we get back to the tent you can go to sleep, and I will sew up your arm. You did say you will let me help if it's done with needle and thread, right?"

Strider fell silent once more, silver eyes now gazing at her; he seemed conflicted, tormented, even.

"I understand why you don't want me to just heal you," Aki said softly, "My power frightens people, I understand that. But it's my power, my own; I didn't do anything wrong to come by this power, and ever since I learned how to control it I have not hurt any innocent. I haven't imposed on anyone's free will, and I am not about to start. But I do want to help. I want to save lives and I want to give you a better chance fighting those supernatural beings; that seems like an appropriate use of my power, isn't it?" Aki's voice was quiet, but she felt a wave of purpose and confidence like she never felt before.

And Strider suddenly took her hand and kissed it, and he said, "I have never doubted your intentions, Aki. A nobler heart I have seldom seen! Yet desires unconstrained are a dangerous thing, and evil can grow from the most pure and innocent of wishes." Here his expression grew fierce and his eyes like broiling storm clouds, "Do you doubt that all Boromir ever desired to was to defend his people and his home? Yet he erred and erred, and in the end it was you who ended his wrongs. And who guards the path you walk, my lady?"


	10. Creeping Darkness

**AN: Back after a month of slaving away over papers! Now that summer vacation is upon me, I will certainly do my best to finish this up quickly. Though the plot keeps on taking twist that I don't even expect...**

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**10. Creeping Darkness**

The next day Aragorn woke later than he had planned; the small dose of poppy juice Aki insisted on giving him obviously did its work. He rolled up his sleeves and inspected his injury. The sutures looked clean and expertly done, and the pain was not so great; he twisted his arm and gestured tentatively, and to his great surprise the arm had more mobility and strength than expected. Aki claimed to be only a healer in training, but she did better than most healers in Minas Tirith; perhaps the healings arts were indeed quite advanced in her homeland.

Thinking of Aki made Aragorn sigh soundlessly again. Their conversation did not end well last night. She was shaken to the core by his words, her convictions gone, and perhaps she was just a touch resentful for being considered a danger, even if she did not wholly disagree. Aragorn did not want to cause her pain, but it was a necessary evil. She had grown _entirely_ too comfortable with dealing out life and death with a simple snap of her fingers.

Once he finished reapplying the bandages, Aragorn continued to stare at his arm. The bloody red outline of a grasping claw was still there, even visible through the gauze of the bandages, glaring back at him balefully. It was a sign of a terrifying power—he could still remember that night of despair on the Great River, when he covered the Anduin with ice from bank to bank and brought forth a northerly wind with a mere thought. He would have done the same again on the Field of Pelennor had Aki not suddenly appeared before him. Seeing such powers manifested by another shook him back to a position of proper fear and denial. No, he could not possibly accept this; how long could his pride and honour withstand the weight of such force beyond the bounds of mortal kind?

He suddenly dropped his arm and hastily rolled down his sleeves, now focusing on doing up all the buttons properly. Just then Gandalf appeared, looking at him from under the shadow of those bushy eyebrows. "Good to see you up, Aragorn, how are you feeling?" Gandalf said pleasantly, "Care to join me for some breakfast and a pipe? We have much to discuss." The last sentence was delivered was a pointed look, and Aragorn knew well its meaning.

They ate the simple fare in silence, and after the food Aragorn said, "I ought to check on my young charge quickly."

"No need, she is still sleeping in that tent at the far end," Gandalf answered easily, "Your brothers—as well as a few in your company, I would venture to guess—are keeping an eye on her, as often as they can spare one. I think after yesterday's display everyone is indeed wary."

Aragorn nodded but did not speak. He lit his pipe and sat there, seemingly in deep thought. Gandalf watched him for a while, before saying, "As far as our current situation goes, though the battle for Minas Tirith is over, for now, the war is far from ended. Faramir shared with me a few days ago some news of Frodo that may yet prove encouraging. Good old Frodo, he is our greatest hope; but of course we cannot do naught but hope. I have some words of advice that ought to be shared with all the captains, and I say we call a meeting to exchange counsels tonight. What think you?"

Aragorn gave Gandalf a surprised look; he thought the wizard would launch right into questioning of the more fantastic happenings. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, before answering, "I have no objections. My mind is set on the same course you believe in, Gandalf, but it may be a mightier task yet to convince Eomer and Imrahil."

"Aye, we shall see about that; we will send words out to all the captains and lords for a meeting tonight then."

They sat for a while longer in silence, until Aragorn thought perhaps he himself should broach the subject first. So he asked, "Have you spoken to my brothers of our journey here, Gandalf?"

"Indeed I have," The wizard nodded with a curious look on his face, "I only left you for eight days, Aragorn, and in eight days' work you have caused me more worry than in the past eighty years of your life! The Army of the Dead I expected to a degree, but certainly not a recently deceased man returning and dying again, and a young witch coming to our aid, at your command, so it seems."

Aragorn pondered a moment the best way to organize this story, and then he said, "When I found Boromir Aki was there also. Boromir was possessed, he was trying to resurrect an evil spirit, and she was there to stop him. She is from a place faraway, so far that I have never heard the name of any land she knows, and she has never heard of any kingdom here. She believes she was sent here to defeat those ancient evil. At least such is her version of the story."

"And what is Boromir's tale?"

Aragorn replied with a shake of his head, "He knew very little, only that after his fall in Parth Galen he was woken by a strange voice. That voice offered him life renewed and another chance to accomplish his greatest desire, a chance to defend his people and his city. So he accepted the offer. He found himself on a beach, and the voice, a great crocodile-like spirit called _Earthbound Immortal Cia Pactillu _came to him, taught him dark arts and guiled him into performing some dark ritual. That was when I found him." Aragorn paused a moment, before continuing quietly, "I know not what to think of Boromir even now. At times he seemed lucid and himself, the man of honour and courage I had always known. Yet other times he spoke of dark things, almost as if another spoke through him, and I did not know him."

Gandalf chewed on his pipe thoughtfully and asked, "And how did he pass the second time?"

"Aki defeated him," Aragorn murmured, "Some kind of ceremonial battle; I do not know enough to tell you a full account. She had fought these _Earthbound Immortals_ in her own world."

Gandalf raised a bushy eyebrow, "And the price of defeat is death?" After seeing Aragorn nod silently he asked again, "You seem to have chosen a side in this strange struggle—why, Aragorn, and how? I know you do not make such judgment lightly."

Aragorn was silent for a long time, before replying in a low voice, "When Boromir unleashed _Cia Pactillu_, that sense of overwhelming darkness and evil, it drove me to actions, perhaps with less consideration than what I should have had."

"But the young lady's monsters did not feel dark and evil, I see." Gandalf's voice was level and perfectly serious, but Aragorn still gave him a troubled look. Gandalf only continued with yet another question, "Now tell me, Aragorn, what exactly is your part in the story?"

Aragorn stayed silent for a long time, and finally he replied with a sigh, "I have thought of this often in those past few days, Gandalf, and the more I think of it, the more it seemed that my lot is not so unlike Boromir's."

"Oh?" Gandalf's brow wrinkled. This confession was a little different from what he had expected.

"When I was young, before I was even made aware of my own identity," Aragorn continued quietly, "I became separated from my brothers on one of our journeys along the coast of Lindon. I was lost in a blizzard and freezing to death, and when I thought perhaps I had truly died, a voice spoke to me, offered his protection and loyalty. Suddenly I was awake and well, and something shielded me from the storm."

Gandalf nodded, "Aye, your brothers spoke of the tale to me. It was your three-headed dragon who saved you?"

"Yes, and _Trishula_ had saved me thrice since, and vowed he shall answer always when I call on him. I trusted him, to a degree, but never enough to actually call on his aid, for I too feared him. But in the end I brought him forth, thinking the situation dire enough to warrant it." There was a long pause, before Aragorn said in a very quiet voice, "I fear in my rush to Minas Tirith I had made a grave mistake, one from which there is no returning."

Gandalf eyed his companion critically, and then the wizard said with a shake of his aged head, "No harm done yet, and you seem like you still have a sound mind; whatever pitfalls you fear can be avoided, Aragorn. Now, what does your dragon say for himself? What is his purpose? Does he too promise to fulfill all your desires?"

"Not exactly." With that Aragorn retold the tale of the ancient battle between the _Earthbound Immortals_ and the servants of the Crimson Dragon and the revival of these supernatural forces as succinctly as possible.

The White Wizard looked thoughtful. "A fascinating tale," Gandalf said, pocketing his pipe and standing up, "Why don't you introduce me to your dragon, Aragorn? I see that he is here now."

Aragorn stared. Even now, so many years after their first meeting, the wizard can still shock him into this stunned silence. Sometime during the conversation _Trishula _had indeed appeared in his spirit form, a massive cloud of silver circling around Aragorn protectively, and Aragorn was doing his very best to ignore the creature. He certainly did not expect Gandalf to see the spirit too.

"I am happy to make your acquaintance, magician," _Trishula_ said to Gandalf.

"The pleasure is all mine," Gandalf nodded in understanding, his expression could even be called pleasant, "Aragorn told me a little of you and your purpose, but I am more interested to hear from you what is his part in your purpose."

"He is my master. The great Crimson Dragon sent us to help mankind, to fight alongside those brave and true-hearted warriors he himself marked. We are to serve them most faithfully and become their truest companions until the end of their days." The dragonic wraith paused, moved all three of its heads closer to the White Wizard, and whispered in a quieter voice tinged with sadness, "But I think Aragorn does not love me; he rides into battles without me and often he pretends he does not see me. Do you know why, magician?"

Oh for the love of Elbereth! For a moment Aragorn could not help but wonder why he tormented himself over this creature. While he was trying to resist the temptation of Trishula's immense power, the creature huffed about not being _loved_ like some household _pet_! Did the dragon not realize he was a three-headed monstrosity, not some woodsman's hound? Or was this simply temptation's fairer face? Aragorn glanced towards Gandalf and saw the White Wizard looked amused yet thoughtful.

"An untamed power is indeed hard to love," Gandalf commented softly. He asked a few more question, and then he seemed relaxed enough to simply shoo the monstrous wraith away. But after _Trishula_'s form disappeared, Gandalf did not speak, only pulled out his pipe and began smoking once more, silent and still like stone.

"What think you, Gandalf?" Eventually Aragorn asked.

"Ah, I apologize for the silence, but I was pondering how difficult it would be to slay a creature such as your _Trishula_."

Aragorn looked at the wizard, trying to ascertain if that was said in jest. The talk of slaying _Trishula_ struck his heart with more force than expected. He tried to keep his expression even, but his face must have betrayed him still, for Gandalf laughed.

"You love the creature better than he knows, and better than you are willing to admit, I deem," Gandalf said, and his expression became serious once more, "I sensed no ill intentions from your dragon, Aragorn. But that is not quite the issue, I am sure you know it too. You fears are not misplaced, and you are right to keep what distance you may. At least he would not hinder you, so let us forget him for a while. The final battle awaits, and we can only fight one front at a time."

Aragorn nodded, feeling a measure of peace at Gandalf's words. He nodded and stood up, and was ready to begin making arrangements for tonight's council, when suddenly he spun around to face the White City.

Minas Tirith gleamed with a faint pearly light under the morning sun. The blue swan-ship banner flew from the Citadel, proud and unconquered. How fair and strong the city looked, blazing still in the sun after the greatest siege in the Third Age. Yet Aragorn sensed something else, a sudden sweep of shadows invisible to the eye but heavy on his heart like the most oppressive of storm clouds. _Something_ was stirring within the walls of the White City, something sinister and dark, an evil both foreign and familiar—since when could he simply _sense_ these things?

"Is there anything wrong?" Gandalf asked.

Aragorn shook his head, momentarily pushing away those dark thoughts. He returned to his conversation with Gandalf, debating future battle plans and making arrangement for the council. Once the conversation ended he sought out Aki immediately. The young woman was eating her breakfast quietly in a corner, unnoticed by most and seemingly at ease.

Aragorn nodded curtly in greeting, and then went directly to the problem at hand. "Did you sense something from within the city, Aki?"

"Sense… something?" She blinked at him, confused, the waybread in her hand forgotten momentarily, "What do you mean? Is there something wrong?"

Aragorn looked back at her, even more surprised. "You mean you did not feel anything?" He paused a moment before asking, "Those _Earthbound Immortals_, can you feel their presence? Would you know if they are near?"

Aki stood up slowly. She seemed to be thinking hard, and eventually she answered with a shrug, "I feel an _Earthbound Immortal_ no more than anyone else would. Dark signers can look like perfectly ordinary people, so long as they hide their eyes a little; you can walk right past them and you wouldn't notice anything wrong. Of course when the _Earthbound Immortals_ are summoned, everyone will see them clear as day, but before that it is nearly impossible to locate a dark signer, even for us. So…Did you sense something, Strider?"

Aragorn shook his head and murmured, "It is probably nothing."

Aragorn was determined to forget his misgivings, for a while at least, for Gandalf was right, he could only fight one war at a time. So he was indeed shocked when he returned to his own tent late after the council, only to find a blue-cloaked old man sitting there, accompanied by a dog-like creature of sort. His sword was half lifted when he finally realized that they were no strangers.

The blue-cloaked figure bowed and said, "Greetings, champion of_ Trishula_."

Aragorn nodded in greeting as well. "_Trishula_ called you _Prior_, is that your name?" He asked.

"_Prior_ is a title, but you may call me as such, and I shall answer," Replied the figure in blue, "I have come with a warning, o great champion."

Aragorn's brow furrowed, but he only nodded, motioning for the blue mage to go on. So _Prior_ continued, "A faint shadow creeps within the white walls yonder. It is concealed, weak still, yet it is there. I believe an _Earthbound Immortal_ now walks in the city."

"Are you certain of this? And how did you discover it?"

"I walked in the city and sensed its presence. I saw a shifting shape of black hover above a tall structure of white stone, and then vanishing. Something haunts the city."

"You walked within the city?" Aragorn's sword raised a few inches; the thought of these wraith-like creatures wandering in the White City, unseen and unknown, sent a chill up his spine, "Why were you inside the walls of Minas Tirith?"

"I was there to visit the young man named Faramir," So answered _Prior_, "I sensed that he was in distress, near his death perhaps, and for old time's sake I thought I should go see him. If I could help him I would, but he seemed well cared for and was resting peacefully."

"For old time's sake?"

Aragorn straightened, staring at the half-translucent form of the old man in blue cloak intently. Boromir's words came back to him unbidden, and suddenly he realized perhaps this strange fantasy had a reach far wider than him alone. "You knew Faramir," He spoke slowly, "Boromir did mention that his brother saw you and the dog as a child."

_Prior_ nodded, "Yes, Faramir has the power to see what is hidden to most, the same power you have, great champion."

"But why were you there to be seen in the first place? Surely it was not by chance alone. Did you seek him out with a purpose? Speak truthfully!"

_Prior_ did not seem to notice the sudden note of agitation in Aragorn's voice, he only continued, "I was searching for _Trishula_ and his champion. I knew that _Trishula_ had awoken, but his presence was so weak, impossible to locate, I thought it must be that his champion is weak and unlearned, perhaps a young child. Faramir seemed like the chosen one at first. After I determined that he was not the one, I lingered here, for I sensed a connection between him and the true vassal of the Crimson Dragon—his elder brother too, though the brother lacked the power. They too are marked for this battle of the gods."

Aragorn relaxed a little, but upon hearing the last sentence he started, and the sword nearly dropped out of his hand. "What do you mean, they are marked for this battle?" He asked with a tight voice.

"There is a connection between you and Faramir, is there not?" Asked the blue-cloaked mage, "If you did not know him before now, then it must be kinship and blood tie. And Faramir has the power to perceive our kind. Since he was not the chosen vassal of the Crimson Dragon, he would be the perfect vassal for the opposing side. I believed I should watch him. Now an Earthbound Immortal has indeed risen, but Faramir did not die, so it was not him whom the unknown Earthbound Immortal chose."

"You feared an Earthbound Immortal would claim him…because he is tied to me?!"

"Of course," _Prior_ answered readily, "The Earthbound Immortals revive those passing souls with fervent dying wishes to do their bidding, but there are thousands upon thousands of humans passing every day, many of whom do not die in peace, and they are hardly all fit to become the vassals of the gods. The Earthbound Immortals choose those who are connected to the chosen of the Crimson Dragon, or vice versa, those who are bound by love or by hate, by desire or by blood. The gods do not choose perfect strangers to be their champions at the opposing ends of their game board."

The sword slipped from Aragorn's hand, and he felt as if his very blood had turned to ice. _Boromir, Boromir_! He cried soundlessly. Even in death the noble son of Gondor could find no peace, only to be dragged back into the world of living, to suffer once more the guilt and shame of a mistake not his own. For what, all for what?! Because the blood of Numenor runs in his veins, so he was a fitting pawn in some twisted game against another heir of Numenor?!

A rumbling voice suddenly cut through Aragorn's tormented thoughts, saying, "A game board is a terrible analogy, and this is no mere game."

It was _Trishula_, but only the three enormous triangular heads, for his full form would not fit inside the tent and the translucent serpentine necks ended at the canvas wall, looking even more sinister than his usual terrifying self. One of the three heads snapped its jaw at _Prior_, growling. Aragorn dove for his dropped sword and gripped it tightly, staring at the dragon heads. Now _Trishula _turned all three heads to him, six glowing red eyes fixed on him intently.

"We are playing no game here; this is war," Said _Trishula, _"The Earthbound Immortals seek to dominate—do you simply refuse to believe it? The Crimson Dragon did not and does not choose the vassals of the Earthbound Immortals; he only chooses his own champions. You cannot choose your enemies either, but you _can_ choose whether or not to fight. If this seems to you some cruel game of malevolent powers, then turn your back, by all means. What is it to you that an Earthbound Immortal now walks this earth and haunts the very city behind you?"

The dragon had never looked and sounded so utterly serious, red eyes glowing with true wrath and indignation. But Aragorn gritted his teeth and said in a dangerous voice, "You and your master will hold my city hostage, so that I will play your game?"

"No," _Trishula_'s reply came swift with a rumble like a peel of thunder, "The Crimson Dragon does not force anyone to fight for him. If you would not there are others. Another signer stands upon this field at the very moment, and the Crimson Dragon can always choose another."

"Aki is a little more than a child, one who is barely staying afloat here, much less think about every decision she is making!" Aragorn growled, "Is it not enough that she is ripped away from her home and thrust into a world at war? And who else would you drag into this game?"

"Fight or no, it is your choice, and I told you, this is _no game_!" _Trishula_ roared, jaws snapping at him angrily.

Aragorn gripped his sword, "I do not fear you."

There was a long, drawn out silence as man and dragon stared at each other, until at last _Trishula_ grumbled, "Have you never trusted me at all? What am I in your eyes, that some simple words—from one of our kind no less—and you are ready to believe I have used you abominably?"

Aragorn started. He finally realized that the ground for his suspicion and anger was indeed thin, a sentence or two and his deep-seated fear, no more. He remained quiet for some time, before saying, "I do not know your purpose."

"I told you my purpose many times, but you would not believe," _Trishula_ said unhappily, "You have known me since you were a young man, and though you would not have me at your side always there were more than a few encounters between us. Have I done anything to warrant your distrust, master? What do you fear?"

Aragorn sighed and put his sword down. He felt tired beyond words, the weariness seeping deep into his bones. "I apologize, _Trishula_; you are right, _you_ have done nothing to warrant such distrust, for you have only aided me most generously and fulfilled my every request," He said, "It is not you whom I fear, only the unknown, and myself."

He stood in silence for a moment longer, collecting his thoughts, and then he took a deep breath and said quietly, "Come with me, if you will. I must go see with my own eyes. Whatever doubt I may have, I will not leave the White City defenseless against a potential threat."


End file.
